One Point in Time
by AZ1087653
Summary: One point in time is all a holiday is, but each person will experience that one point in time differently. Story has been bumped up to M.
1. One Point in Time

I realized that tomorrow as Valentine's Day and I had wanted to put a chapter out for one of my series. Then I couldn't decide which series to put it on. So this came out; it's not just my three JR/SIH series, but all of the characters; at least the ones I wanted to. So there is a part for Bound (Domestica), My Interest is You (Terrorist), and No Words Necessary (Erotica). As I do not have a series for the others I have just added them for fun. I am going to put this under the JR tag even though it's the two series together. If you don't like one of the couples, deal with it.

Hope you like.

I don't own.

/GG/

**One Point in Time**

_**Romantica**_

It was not happening. No way was he going to cave that year and get that idiot rabbit something for Valentine's Day. This was the year that Takahashi Misaki expected something from Usagi-san instead. He was going to hold his ground and not let the other man have his way with him either. No, that man's cock was going to stay out of his ass because Misaki wanted to be able to walk the next day. The prior Valentine's Day had ended with him and his _landlord_ having sex on almost every available piece of furniture. The next day Misaki'd had to stay home because he couldn't walk properly. That of course had ended with him being sucked off so many times he never wanted to have another orgasm again.

The Great Lord Usami Akihiko was cruel!

At least that was what he thought until he'd walked into the apartment and found it completely empty. That was unexpected. Normally, especially on those ridiculous holidays of love, Usagi-san would have been waiting at the door to pounce. For a brief moment Misaki actually felt lonely as he walked through the apartment and saw that he was, indeed, alone.

Brief thoughts of that morning, after he'd left for school, popped into his head and he almost felt his heart palpitate. _Did Usagi-san know!?_ There was no way the older man could have known if Misaki hadn't known it was going to happen either. Still, it made him all but start to shake at the thought of one pissed man trying to even the score.

Misaki walked into the kitchen and started to pull out anything he could make for dinner. There wasn't a note saying when the elder would return, but the idea that they would always eat together was clear in his mind. Usami would return and they would eat together, no matter what. He'd promised.

Takahashi was starting to worry himself into a tizzy with thoughts of violence and retribution that he didn't even feel the knife when he sliced the tip of his finger. It wasn't until he looked at the cutting board and saw the blood everywhere that it registered that he needed to go to the emergency room.

_Why does he do that to me! No matter what I do, he has a hold of me and I can't break free!_ Not that he'd want to break free anyway. Usami Akihiko had become akin to water when it came to Misaki. He didn't think he'd be able to live without him anymore.

Quickly he wrapped his finger in a dish towel and started out the door. He didn't have the money, but he'd hail a taxi and hope that they'd be kind enough to drop him off.

/GG/

After receiving three stitches on his finger, Misaki was sitting in the waiting room for his discharge from the hospital. It hadn't taken long to get the finger fixed and the doctor had told him there'd hardly be a scar. That made Misaki happy, but he realized how lonely he felt being in the hospital without Usami at his side.

That didn't last long though as he saw the violet-eyed man storm into the hospital and demand to know where he was.

"Usagi-san!" he all but called out when he saw the man, in his overcoat, standing at the counter.

Moments later Usami jumped across the room and wrapped Misaki into a hug so tight he could hardly breathe.

"U-Usa-gi-sa-n, ca-n-'t b…"

"I was so worried. I came home and saw the blood and just about died. How come you didn't send me a message?"

Misaki realized that he'd forgotten his phone at the house and he hadn't even bothered to send a message to the elder. No wonder he hadn't come immediately.

"I'm sorry," he said, muffled by the other man's shoulder. Usami wasn't going to let the boy go anywhere without him anymore if he had his way. "You weren't home, so I thought…"

Without even worrying about the others in the lobby, Usami placed his lips firmly to Misaki's and kissed him. The college student didn't even have a chance to protest at them becoming exhibitionists. He leaned into the kiss and let the other man have his way until it was time to break apart.

"If something like that happens again, I want to be the first to know, Misaki," Usami growled under his breath.

Misaki just nodded and then fell back into the seat. He noticed the stares and turned scarlet. _Damn that idiot Usagi!_ He forced a nervous laugh as Usami went to pay the bill for the visit. Then he hid his head in his hands until he felt the other leading him out of the hospital and into his car.

It wasn't until they were on the road that Misaki started to speak again.

"Where were you?" he asked, nonchalantly.

"I was preparing your Valentine's Day present," Usami stated as he lit a cigarette.

Misaki felt his heart stall and he blinked a few times. So he wasn't going to have to be the one to give the gift this year.

"What is it?" he asked.

Usami reached over and held onto Misaki's hand, mindful of the hurt finger. He interlaced their fingers and just held on like he wasn't going to let go.

"You'll see when we get there," he said. "Happy Valentine's Day, Misaki."

_**Mistake**_

Valentine's Day was a menace to society, especially in the publishing world. Luckily for one Isaka Ryuuichioro, the biggest hurdle was getting any manga out on that date. Such matters had already been taken into account and had worked out as they should have. Now the only issue was worrying about whether he'd end up with a mountain of cards, chocolates, and crap on his desk. Normally he'd have played a joke on some unsuspecting sap, but the tiny tree with condom ornaments he'd put on Yokozawa Takafumi's desk last year couldn't be outdone. So he was stuck with just being a normal human being for the day.

At least that's what he thought until he came back from a meeting and saw an even larger tree with not just condoms, but vibrators, screamers, and lube sitting on his desk. Luckily for him the desk was in his private room, but whoever had done this deserved a medal. He'd been one-upped.

"Asahina, come in here please?" Isaka said into his phone as he viewed the tree from all angles. It was a pine tree, about three feet high, and every square inch was covered in perverted material.

"Yes, Ryuuichiro-sama?" his secretary asked from the doorway.

"Did you see someone come in and put this on the desk?"

"If you think back a little ways you'll recall that I was with you from the moment you came into the office, went to the meeting, and came back. So, no, I doubt I saw someone come put this on your desk if you didn't," Asahina deadpanned.

"Who do you think did it?"

"That is not something I would know about, Ryuuichiro-sama."

Isaka grinned. "There are lots of people we could pin this one on, but I think I know who and why they did this."

"Then why did you need me?"

One sly man walked to the door, pulled his secretary inside and shut the door, after which he closed the blinds.

"Because it was you, Kaoru," Isaka said with a grin.

"And why would you think that?"

"Because I know you have been trying to field complaints about the few times I've spread some Valentine's Day mischief. It only makes sense that you would jump in and have some fun with me in that way."

Asahina went from being secretary to lover in less than a second. He pulled the other man toward him and started to kiss him senseless. He knew he'd get caught, but he also knew that Isaka was the only man in the company who would be able to handle such an elaborate joke.

"Who set it up?" Isaka asked when they broke away from the kiss.

"Himitsu*," Kaoru whispered into Isaka's ear.

"You're evil!" Isaka laughed.

"So is this holiday," Asahina growled as he reached for a condom on the perverted tree.

Isaka pulled his lover back toward him and proceeded to kiss the man senseless. He could feel a tingling sensation below the belt and knew that it wasn't going to take long for both he and Asahina to turn his office into a sauna that smelled of sex. Then again, it wasn't like he cared. He was the boss, after all.

_**Egoist**_

Waking up and reading a note that stated Nowaki had been called into work at an ungodly hour had put Hiroki into a mood. So while he stalked through the school to his classes people tended to veer off to the side like he was Moses parting The Red Sea. He didn't really care as long as they moved their asses out of his way so he could get his lecture started. After almost relocating Miyagi's balls into the roof of said professor's mouth, all Hiroki wanted to do was get out of that office and go home. Instead he needed to teach the idiot minds of his students in his intro to English literature class.

Kamijou walked into the room and everyone immediately stopped talking. No one wanted to talk out of turn, lest the devil hurl some sort of projectile at them. Today was slightly different though. Someone had left a single, white rose on the podium for their professor and to be honest, everyone was beyond curious.

"What in the hell is this?" Hiroki barked, holding the flower up over his head.

No one said a word, they were too afraid to speak up when the professor was about ready to go nuclear on someone's ass.

"Someone better answer me or I'm going to require a ten page paper, due next class period, on *The Great Gatsby!"

Finally someone raised her hand.

"Yes?" Kamijou snapped.

"Professor, there's a card," she answered, timidly.

Hiroki looked at the card and put the flower down on the podium. He opened the card and read what was written inside.

_Sorry about not waking you when I left. It was so early and you were so cute while you were sleeping. Happy Valentine's Day, Hiro-san! _

This caused the annoyed professor to blush from the roots of the hair on his head to the tips of his toenails. That idiot Nowaki had done something this embarrassing, and in front of his students. But he couldn't bring himself to be angry, no matter how humiliating it was.

"Class, read the final ten chapters for next time, class is dismissed."

With that Hiroki left his class, walked out of the building without his things, and headed straight for the hospital.

/GG/

Nowaki was in the process of making paper flowers for the children in the lounge when Tsumori walked in, a huge grin on his face.

"I am glad to see you so happy this morning, even though you were pulled away from someone important at three AM," the man said, cheekily.

"I know that Hiro-san wasn't going to be too thrilled with my disappearance, but there wasn't much else I could do," Nowaki replied. "Besides, I was able to get him a flower and a card. I asked his superior to place it on his desk so he could have it when he came in."

Tsumori laughed. "I'm sure that tsundere you love so much appreciated that. Or he's on his way here now to kill you."

"Hiro-san isn't someone who would go about killing people, senpai. He's a good person."

"Then my warning about him coming doesn't worry you at all?"

Nowaki stopped making flowers and looked at the older man. "Hiro-san is on his way here?"

"Yes, I saw him enter the building a few minutes ago. He should be here in a few moments."  
The young doctor visibly brightened at hearing his beloved Hiro-san was on his way into the building. He was worried that he'd not get to see him on Valentine's Day since he wasn't scheduled to leave till after midnight. Even if just for a few moments, he was happy to know the other man was on his way.

/GG/

Hiroki barged into the lounge in the children's wing of the hospital and marched up to Nowaki, a flush across his face from walking so fast.

"You look cute with that flush, Hiro-san," Nowaki stated, softly.

Kamijou grabbed hold of the younger man's arm and pulled him from the lounge amidst cries of protest from the young patients.

"I'll return him in a minute!" he snapped at the kids, which shut them up rather quickly.

Nowaki didn't have the heart to chastise his lover for his snappy behavior toward the kids. Instead he just followed as Hiroki led them down the hallway. He could see the eyes of nurses, doctors, patients, and others following them as they walked through the corridors to the men's changing room.

Once inside Hiroki shoved the flower into Nowaki's face. "You left this on my podium. All of my students saw it!" he grumbled.

Nowaki's eyes went wide. "I asked Professor Miyagi to leave it on your desk; I don't know why he'd leave it on the podium. I'm sorry Hiro-san."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Hiroki said, averting his eyes from his boyfriend's heated gaze. "I just wanted to tell you…Happy Valentine's Day," he mumbled under his breath.

The well wishes made Nowaki grin like an idiot and he pulled Hiroki in for a chaste kiss.

"I love you, Hiro-san," he whispered after said kiss was finished.

/GG/

After his shift at the hospital was over, Nowaki received a text message.

_Nowaki, I'm cold._

_**Ijuuin Sensei to Takahashi Misaki**_

There was no doubt in his mind that it was a low blow. Showing up at Misaki's school, unannounced, had all but startled the young man into old age way before his time. That, added to the fact that he could all but hear the girls in the background complaining about how such an ordinary looking person could attract the attention of not just Usami Akihiko, but Ijuuin Kyo as well. It was a travesty on the entire way the universe worked.

Ijuuin didn't care. Seeing Misaki, on Valentine's Day was a treat. And he expressly showed it when he handed the boy a box of homemade chocolates and a bouquet of Baby Romantica flowers. To say that Misaki was startled was definitely the understatement of the decade.

"Uhhh…Ijuuin-sensei, what are you doing here?" the boy stammered as he eyed everyone in the vicinity. If he didn't accept the tokens then it would make him look like a prick in front of half the student body.

"I wanted to see you on Valentine's Day, Misaki," Ijuuin purred. "Is that a crime?"

Misaki shook his head in embarrassment. This was not how this day was supposed to progress. What if Usagi-san showed up?

"Then please accept my gifts. Just think of them as something from one friend to another," he said with a wink.

Takahashi was more than embarrassed and wanted to hide away, rather quickly if possible. That wasn't going to happen in the open courtyard though. He couldn't even think of a way to turn the man down before Ijuuin walked over, ruffled his hair and walked off the property. Misaki could hear the girls in the background all but swoon at the sign of affection. And to make things worse, he still had a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates in his hand.

_**My Interest is You - Terrorist**_

Valentine's Day was the bane of Shinobu's existence. He hated the holiday with a passion thanks to his sister and her incessant need to try and win Miyagi back that year. After she'd confessed that she wanted _his _lover back, she'd told him that even if he has someone doesn't mean that she can't come back into his life. Shinobu didn't like that and had been anticipating her doing something on this holiday of lovers. Normally it was the girl who gave something to the boy. Then in a month's time the boy could reciprocate, but on a grander scale. Shinobu wasn't a girl; he had a dick in his pants that Miyagi liked to play with to prove it. But the idea that Risako might try something had him nervous and pissed at the same time.

In fact, he'd missed a question on his English exam, which completely proved that he wasn't able to pay attention to anything. So he decided to leave the highest ranked university in Japan and head over to where Miyagi worked instead. He'd rather have spent the day with the old man anyway. Plus, Risako wouldn't ambush him at work, so he knew he'd be safe from any attempts at wooing his future.

Shinobu wandered onto the campus and made his way to Miyagi's office. He knew the older man's schedule by heart, so he knew that Miyagi wouldn't be there. The college student wasn't too surprised to see Professor Kamijou sitting at his desk.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" the other professor snapped at Shinobu, much like he always did.

"Waiting for Miyagi to get back so we can make use of this sofa," Shinobu snapped back.

He and Kamijou were like an asteroid hitting a planet. The force was not good, and it ended up with a lot of debris in their wake.

"You could do that at home and not here," Kamijou growled.

Shinobu sat down on the sofa and stretched out to take a nap. He really didn't care if the other professor was around. He'd wait for Miyagi anyway. Shinobu closed his eyes and let his mind go blank, which caused him to fall into a calm sleep.

/GG/

Miyagi walked into his office and saw that Kamijou was gone and that Shinobu had passed out on the sofa. His eyes went wide when he realized that it was the middle of the day and the little brat should have been in school. Then again, said terrorist always tended to skip school and still make the dean's list in one of the hardest programs in the country. He'd have given anything to have been that smart when he was in school.

If Shinobu was sleeping then he obviously needed it, though he wasn't sure why. They'd gone to bed at a reasonable hour the night prior and after their lovemaking both of them had been pretty spent. Maybe it was too much on the kid to have sex every night? Though, it was generally Shinobu who instigated such acts between them.

"Miyagi…"

The professor looked at his young lover and saw that he was dreaming and talking in his sleep.

"Yes, Shinobu-chin?" he asked, sitting on the table next to the sofa.

"Need…" Shinobu whispered in his sleep, "Miyagi…"

The confession all but made Yoh's heart leap into his throat.

"Want…Miyagi…mine!"

Miyagi held back a giggle at hearing this from Shinobu. He was obviously fighting someone in his dreams to keep him. The boy didn't have to do that, Miyagi was his forever, or so Shinobu constantly stated. Miyagi placed a hand on Shinobu's hair and felt his forehead. He felt warm. That was not a good sign. So he pulled off his jacket and wrapped Shinobu into it like a taco and let him sleep for a while longer.

/GG/

Shinobu was having a nightmare where he saw Miyagi change his mind and leave with Risako. Tears started to fall as he reached out for the elder who was leaving him, crying, in the street. Within a few moments he'd woken himself from the dream and sat up, tears actually streaming down his face. He blinked his eyes and realized that Miyagi was sitting right in front of him, a worried look in his eyes.

"Shinobu, what's the matter?"

The kid shook his head as he sorted out the dream from reality and came back to the present. Miyagi was not walking away with his sister, but he himself was crying. He really needed to stop that at some point.

"I had a nightmare, it's gone now."

Miyagi wasn't convinced. He'd heard the boy shout out to Risako in his sleep. He'd heard, specifically, that Risako was not allowed to take him away. Miyagi put his hand to Shinobu's head and felt it again. His fever was higher than before. That meant he was going to take the rest of the day off and nurse his little terrorist back to health.

"You're sick, Shinobu-chin. It's time to go home so you can rest."

"I am not!" Shinobu insisted. "I'm perfectly fine."

"We're going home anyway."

Shinobu glared, but let Miyagi help him to his feet. He realized, in that moment, that he did feel a little sick, so obviously Miyagi wasn't lying. After gathering a few things, Miyagi led Shinobu to his car and the two made their way back home.

/GG/

After a quick shower, that Miyagi actually had to help him with, Shinobu found himself on their futon in his jimjams. There was a cold compress on his head and he was scowling as Miyagi took his temperature. The whole thing looked vaguely familiar as he realized he'd nursed Miyagi at one point too.

"So, you want to tell me what you were dreaming about now?" Miyagi asked when he read the thermometer; it read *39.2 degrees Celsius.

"I had a dream that Risako was going to steal you away from me," Shinobu said without thinking, the fever was getting to his head.

Miyagi then realized why he had a fever. "So, you worried yourself into this mess," he stated as he pushed Shinobu back onto the pillows and changed the cold compress. He would have taken Shinobu to the hospital, but that might have ended up with his parents being notified and Miyagi knew that Shinobu wouldn't have been happy if his parents had been brought in.

"It's a legitimate concern. Lots of people might try to steal you." Shinobu was getting tired and wanted to go to sleep.

"No, Shinobu, I can promise you that no one is going to steal you away from me. You're stuck with me forever." Of course he knew that if the kid wanted him gone, he'd leave to make him happy, but he knew Shinobu never wanted him to leave, which made Miyagi very happy.

"Good…" Shinobu said, nodding off. "You're mine, Miyagi."

Yoh smiled and kissed Shinobu on the forehead. "Happy Valentine's Day, Shinobu-chin," he said softly. "I love you."

/GG/

Later that next morning, around five when the fever broke, Shinobu woke up and saw Miyagi sleeping in a chair next to the bed. He reached out a hand and pulled the sleeping man into the bed with him. Sure, it would only be a couple of hours, but that was still two hours in which they could hold one another.

_**Onodera Ritsu no Baai**_

The man was glaring at him. He'd been glaring at him since Onodera'd walked into work and sat down. The same glare continued on when Hatori had left. It didn't stop when Mino had shown up to work and after a while he just assumed that it wouldn't stop any time soon. With that, Ritsu started to ignore his boss. He went about his day like nothing was wrong and all was right with the world.

Unfortunately, once everyone else on the floor had cleared out, the same routine happened. Without much of a warning, Onodera felt a presence behind him, which caused him to hunch over slightly.

"Takano-san, have you ever heard of personal space?" he grumbled, trying to get ahead on his work.

"Yes, I'm not stupid, but you've been ignoring me all day, so I wanted to know why?" Takano said into his ear.

"I've been here all day, same as you." What was this man getting at?

"True, but you didn't acknowledge me when you came in."

Ritsu had no clue what Takano-san was saying. "Of course I acknowledged you. I said, 'Good morning, Takano-san', just like I do every morning!" he snapped, "out of politeness to my superior."

It didn't even take a second for his chair to be swiveled around, which resulted in him looking directly into Takano's eyes.

"That's not what I meant," Takano grumbled. "Where's my present?"

"And what present would that be?" Ritsu asked, leaning as far back into the chair as he could.

"My Valentine's Day present."

"What?" Ritsu scoffed. "Are you for real?"

"Very much so, now where is it?" Takano asked, leaning closer to Ritsu's face.

"And why do I have to get you anything?" Ritsu was starting to squirm in his chair.

"Because…you love me." The way he said it caused Onodera to shiver. "Ritsu?" Takano asked, huskily before leaning in and claiming Ritsu's lips in a hungry kiss.

Onodera wanted to push away; he needed to push away. Instead he felt his hands reach out of their own accord and grasp Takano-san's arms. Instantly he could feel the elder's arms grab his own and pull him to his feet. The kiss remained unbroken as he was maneuvered to the desktop.

Finally, he pushed away, lips still feeling the sting.

"Takano-san," he gasped, "we can't do this kind of stuff…especially not at work."

"Of course we can," Masamune said in a sultry voice. "We love each other, so making love is more than acceptable."

Ritsu could feel himself blush more than he already was. Did this guy ever listen?

"But, I thought we were going to talk and get to know one another more," he insisted as he tried to scramble away from Takano-san's grip.

"We can talk after I sleep with you," Takano deadpanned.

Ritsu squirmed a little more and turned his face to avoid another kiss. "Why do you love me?" he asked.

This did cause the other male to pause and Ritsu looked up into Masamune's eyes, a contemplative look on his face. For a moment he was actually at a loss for words himself.

"I love you," the man said after the pause, "because you are Ritsu."

Onodera's eyes bugged again and he felt the other man lean in and start to kiss his neck. There was no point in fighting it anymore. He knew, deep down, that he loved the other man too. And he felt special whenever his senpai was around.

Takano claimed his lips again and Ritsu let himself be lowered to the desk. He'd have to figure out how to clean the desk later as he was certain they'd make one hell of a mess before they were through.

_**Yanase Yuu no Baai**_

Nothing in the world was going to make him get out of bed. He was tired, cranky, and didn't see the point when he knew that Chiaki wasn't going to spend the day with him. Instead, he could sleep away the day and start over on the morrow, just like a good little worker. Any other plans he may have had for the day were terminated when he'd been told by Hatori that the editor was fine with he and his best friend hanging out and keeping with tradition. Of course, Chiaki had smashed that window rather easily by telling him the day before that he wanted to spend it with Hatori instead. So poor Yuu had been left to his own devises. And that was going to be to sleep and conserve energy for his next crunch.

_Ding Dong!_

"Who in the fuck is that?" he snapped at no one, since he was alone.

Yuu stood up and padded to his front door and looked outside. There was a man holding a bouquet of flowers. Had to be the wrong door.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he opened the door.

"I have a bouquet of flowers for Yanase-san," the delivery guy said.

"Uhhhhh…" Yanase nodded and took the flowers. "Thanks?"

The other man left and Yuu went into the apartment. He pulled the card from the flowers and narrowed his eyes. _He wouldn't! Would he? _Yanase asked himself.

He opened the card and read the inscription:

_I know you are spending today with your friend! Have fun. Here's a little something to keep you from forgetting me today! It's a custom I picked up while in Canada last time I was there. I think we should go there in the spring. Prince Edward Island is beautiful that time of year._

"Is he fucking kidding me?"

Yanase almost threw the bouquet onto the ground, but stopped himself. It had been the first time in his adult life he'd received such a gift and it wasn't one he could think of getting rid of, no matter how much of a pain in the ass the man who sent it was.

_**Bound - Hatori Yoshiyuki to Yoshino Chiaki no Baai**_

Normally, on a day that tended to be a pain in the ass, Hatori was more than happy to forgo meeting up with his lover, even if the day was meant to be spent with that someone special. In the prior years, on this specific day, he'd learned that Chiaki tended to spend it with Yanase, which made his blood boil. He didn't usually argue anything with Yoshino on the matter though because he knew that the other man made the one he loved happy, so he quietly grumbled and went about his day.

Hatori would go to Chiaki's house after work and make dinner. If he was lucky then Chiaki would return from hanging out with Yanase at a civilized hour and he could eat something before Hatori went home to sleep. This year he wasn't going to fight Chiaki spending time with Yanase, even though he'd told the mangaka to stay away from him. After causing a rift between the smaller man and his other best friend, he'd felt a little guilty. Hurting Chiaki had never been his intention. Maybe that could be his Valentine's gift to the other; allowing him freedoms he'd previously tried to take away out of jealousy.

The editor continued on with his work, pretending his mind wasn't elsewhere. Rarely was anything but Yoshino on his brain, so that day was no different. Yet, somehow it was, because for the first time in a long time, he wasn't able to keep himself focused. Before he knew it, he'd mixed the pages of his newest manuscripts up and marked things wrong. This wasn't like him and if he didn't get his head on straight he'd end up with more work than what he'd had to begin with.

"Takano-san, I need a break. I'm going to check on a few mangaka and I'll be back this afternoon for a while," he stated as he gathered his stuff.

"I'm sure you'll get your work done at some point. Take it home with you and stay there. No need to return, Hatori," Takano stated, not even looking up from his own pile of work.

Hearing that made Hatori feel quite a bit better. Not having to return to work meant he'd be able to head over to Yoshino's house, do his work there, and then still be around to make the evening meal before the other returned home.

"Thank you, Takano-san," Hatori said with a slight bow as he walked from the department. Something was still nagging him and he tried to push it away since that day had to be about Chiaki.

/GG/

It didn't take more than an hour to get to Yoshino's place. Hatori let himself in and stalled when he noticed that Chiaki's shoes were still in the entryway. Had he worn another pair of shoes out?

"Yoshino?" he called as he slipped his shoes off and placed them, neatly, on the carpet. He then adjusted Yoshino's so they looked presentable.

"Tori!" a squeak came from inside the kitchen and living area of the apartment.

Okay, so Chiaki hadn't left yet, which meant that he might run into Yanase. Not exactly the thing he wanted to deal with on Valentine's Day. It was hard enough dealing with the interloper on a normal day, let alone the _lover's holiday_.

Chiaki bounded out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and a huge grin.

"Tori, I didn't expect you till tonight, it's only eleven!"

Hatori looked at the mess in the kitchen, which was considerably less than what he'd seen before when his lover had decided to try and make something.

"Yoshino, what are you doing?" Hatori saw a plate of burnt pancakes sitting next to the stove.

"I was trying to make these pancakes I saw in _The Kan_. Yuu got me the latest issue and when I saw the recipe I got rather excited," he answered sheepishly.

Hatori chuckled as he walked over to the counter and saw that there had to have been a hundred, burnt, pancakes that resembled the shape of a heart.

"I don't think you're doing a very good job," Hatori stated, smartly.

Yoshino lowered his eyes and nodded.

"I kind of messed up the last special day between us, so I wanted to make this one…" he cut himself off.

Hatori felt a pang of guilt at keeping his kuudere personality up top, so he leaned in and placed a kiss on Chiaki's face.

"I had thought you were going to go out with Yanase today, so I came here with the plan of making dinner," he admitted as he tasted one of the crisp pancakes.

Yoshino looked up, eyes wide. Had Hatori actually thought he'd skip out on him for another important day? Then again, this day was an easy one for him, in the past. He was done with his transcript, so he and Yanase usually had gone to a bar and drank beer. But that was before…

"Why, Tori?" he asked, softly. "Why would I go with him, on today of all days?" He was starting to get cross.

Hatori knew he was about to step on a landmine. Chiaki was prone to overreacting, just as he was. And deep down, he knew that the feeling he'd been feeling all day was loneliness because of not being around this man he loved.

"I know that whatever you and Yanase did on this day in the past was something that made you happy, so I thought you'd want to do that again."

Chiaki huffed and continued trying to make pancakes. "Don't think things for me, Tori. Ask instead of assume. You're really bad at that."

Yoshiyuki laughed at that comment since he knew how true it was. He watched a bewildered Chiaki try to make a heart and mess it up, again. After the weird-shaped thing was removed from the pan, Hatori reached over and helped Chiaki pour the batter. Together they were able to make a pancake that closely resembled a heart.

"Okay, Chiaki," he whispered into the other's ear, causing Yoshino so shiver. "From now on I'll ask."

And thus, a new day was born. From then on, every Valentine's Day was spent, just the two of them, no work, no anything. They woke up, made heart-shaped pancakes, watched a movie, made love, and enjoyed one another's company. Eventually there was no greater day than Valentine's Day.

_**No Words Needed – Kisa Shota to Yukina Kou no Baai**_

Everywhere he looked, the only things he saw were pink and sparkles. Normally the only sparkles Kisa Shouta saw were those that belonged to one Yukina Kou. Not on Valentine's Day though. Every single person in existence sparkled on Valentine's Day, unless they'd gotten their heart broken. Then they ate the sparkles everyone else was emitting for breakfast.

Kisa had actually wanted to avoid this day, but just like any other day it wasn't something he could ignore. So he went to work, finished early, and found himself walking down the street toward the bookstore. The route had become a second nature to him since he frequently went there if he knew he and Yukina were going to stay the night together. It was no surprise that Kisa wanted Yukina to stay over. Valentine's Day sex was something he'd only ever done with strangers. Now that he'd been in a relationship with the younger man, he tended to cherish their time together.

The streets were full of couples walking arm in arm, hand In hand. He even noticed some same-gender couples who were unaffected by their replica reproductive anatomy. Japan was becoming a lot more open and accepting to the homosexual community, even if public displays of affection embarrassed the manga editor to no end. It was a nice sight though, in a vastly progressive population.

"Flower for your someone special?"

Kisa stopped and looked at the little girl standing next to him. She was wearing a school uniform for a local middle school.

"We're selling them to help raise money for new books in the library," the girl said, big eyes shining.

In no way could Kisa Shouta say no to that. He smiled at the girl and gave her *200 yen, plus a 100 yen tip.

"Thanks!" the little girl cried as she went back to her cart.

Kisa looked at the carnation in his hand. Someone had taken the time to die the tips a rather pretty color of purple. He hadn't thought about getting something for Yukina since he most certainly wasn't a girl, but…maybe Valentine's Day didn't need to be for a girl to give a gift anymore. Maybe it could be one person giving another person they cared about something.

This brought a blush to Kisa's face as he imagined handing the flower to Yukina. He knew the taller man would all but sparkle enough to cause the sun to go nova. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

/GG/

Inside the bookstore, Yukina was in the process of turning down the third girl who had come at him with chocolates. Before he'd met his lover he might have considered one of them, but now if it wasn't given to him by Kisa-san, then it had less than no meaning to him.

"I'm sorry, but I have someone I'm in love with right now, so I can't accept your offer," he said sternly; sometimes the girls didn't take no for an answer.

_I think I need to put a sign around my neck that say's I'm taken._

As the girl wandered off, looking completely dejected, Yukina saw Kisa-san walk down the stairs into the manga department. His heart skipped a beat and he could feel his blood start to heat up. Whenever his Shouta walked into a room, nothing else was in existence.

"Kisa-san!" he shouted, smiling like he'd just won the lottery. Of course in his mind he had, since he now had Kisa by his side.

The smaller male blushed as he walked forward and all but shoved the flower into Yukina's hands. This stopped the younger man in his tracks as he took the piece of flora and brought it to his nose to smell. Kisa could just see the mental orgasms the girls in the store were having at seeing the prince with a flower in his face. He almost had to avert his eyes to keep from going blind. Yukina was positively glowing like one of those creatures in a horror movie who'd been doused with radiation.

He wasn't expecting to have a box handed to him though, and Kisa almost dropped it on the floor. The box was red in color and had a gold ribbon on the outside that was tied off in a nice bow. Kisa opened the box and his eyes went wide. Inside was a single piece of chocolate in the shape of a heart.

Not quite sure how to react, he looked up at Yukina and blushed when he saw how closely the man was watching him. Kisa could hear people in the background commenting on how it was such a waste that Yukina was gay since there was so many good girls to go around. Okay, so maybe not everyone was as progressive as he thought.

Yukina wasn't too thrilled with the way people were speaking though, so he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on Kisa's lips, making the elder blush with ferocity. He liked it so much he decided to do it again before Kisa-san came to his senses. Only this time he allowed himself a little bit of free reign and started to use his tongue. As they were in public, Kisa didn't exactly use his tongue, but he seemed to be a little in shock, so Yukina stopped and pulled away.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kisa-san," he said jovially.

Kisa, for his part, was too out of it to respond much at that point.

/GG/

"Yukina!" Kisa growled when his lover finally came out of the shower. "Why did you do _that_ in front of so many other people?"

Yukina grinned and chuckled a little. "Because I wanted people to know that there is no such thing as waste when I am with you." He beamed and walked forward, letting his towel fall from his hips. Kisa caught himself looking at Yukina's half erect cock. "Besides, you didn't exactly stop me, now did you?"

That was a true fact and Kisa wasn't really all that upset at the show they'd given the patrons at the bookstore. He was actually happy that someone was willing to stand up and say, it's okay to be in love with a man if you are a man.

"Thank you," Shouta said, softly.

Yukina closed the distance to his lover, picked him up, and kissed him with all his energy. They were going to make love all night if he had any say in the matter.

"Shouta-san, would you mind taking me tonight?" he asked, wanting to feel the other man inside of him.

Kisa blushed, but nodded. After all, it was a holiday, so switching it up was definitely a good way to do things.

_**Yokozawa Takafumi no Baai**_

Yokozawa Takafumi definitely knew what day it was. How in the fuck someone could forget when working in a publishing company that specialized in manga was beyond him. That evil known as Valentine's Day was almost as much of a curse as Christmas and New Year's. The office had looked like someone had vomited pepto bismol and red Koolaid everywhere for a few days. Women had been talking in hushed tones and giggling like giddy high school girls about to lose their virginity to the most popular boy in school. Men were nervously glancing to and fro, hoping that they were at least going to be remembered on such a day.

Yes, Yokozawa knew what day it was and he'd never liked it; not even as a child. Whoever had come up with capitalizing on the death of a martyr who just happened to be listed as a Saint was an idiot, in his mind. Where the fuck had the whole hearts and chocolates garbage come from except to cause patrons to spend unnecessary amounts of money to make someone else happy?

At least, that was how he thought until he watched one diminutive girl named Hiyori walk from her bedroom, waltz over to the table, and hand him a homemade card.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Onii-san!" she sang before placing a kiss on Yokozawa's face. She then sat down at the table and started to eat her breakfast.

"Hey, where's mine?" Kirishima asked, mocking hurt since he was still trying to keep from giggling at Yokozawa's facial expression.

"I give one to you every year, this time it was Onii-san's turn," the girl stated matter-of-factly as she stuffed her face with rice and miso.

"I feel very unloved!" Kirishima Zen cried out in protest, embellished of course.

"You're so spoiled," Hiyori said, rolling her eyes and finishing her meal.

Yokozawa didn't even have time to think, let alone speak, before the kid was finished and ran to the front door to meet up with friends to walk to school. Once the door clicked, Kirishima-san started to giggle and playfully shoved Takafumi in the arm.

"Guess you're going to have to think of an answer to give her on White Day, Yokozawa," he laughed, slyly.

Yokozawa glared at Kirishima. "You're just mad that neither she nor I gave you anything for this _holiday_," he growled.

Slowly he opened the card and read the inscription. _Happy Valentine's Day to a Treasured Friend!_ This made his heart all but melt, but he wasn't about to share that with Kirishima-san.

"You aren't going to get me anything?" said man asked, feigning hurt.

"Are you going to get me something?" Yokozawa demanded, harsher than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm not exactly a girl, if you haven't noticed."

Kirishima stood up and walked over to Yokozawa and placed a hand on his crotch.

"Hey!" Yokozawa bellowed in a scandalized tone.

"Nope, definitely not a girl, but maybe we should take it to the bedroom…just to be sure," Kirishima said, whimsically.

"Like fucking hell that's going to happen!"

This caused the elder to throw back his head in an all out cackle as Yokozawa removed his hand from his nether region.

"Then I expect a rain check once work is over today. I'll have Hiyori stay at my mom's house. You can let me do a little of this and a little of that to you as your gift to me." An impish grin and a wink followed, making Yokozawa's blood run cold.

"Or maybe you'll let me do _that_ to you, as your gift to me!" he snarled.

Kirishima clapped him on the back, sending Takafumi forward into his bowl of rice. "I accept!"

_God-damn him, it was all a ruse! _Yokozawa thought with a frown. He looked at the card again and within moments his annoyance evaporated. Then a feeling of family hit him in the heart and he realized that maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to have such a holiday. He glanced at Kirishima, who was clearing the table. That man did things to him that he didn't want to think about, but were always on his mind.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kirishima," he said, softly. The tsundere didn't see the smile that adorned his lover's face.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Yokozawa."

Yokozawa'd never admit it, but things that used to make him annoyed and mad at the world didn't seem to matter anymore, as long as he was with the one he loved.

_**Kanade Mino no Baai**_

One happy father was woken up by his overzealous girl first thing in the morning. Normally the child would have waited for Mino's wife, Yurie, to wake him up before barreling into the bedroom, but on Valentine's Day that never happened. Kanade Mino didn't seem to mind that he'd all but lost feeling in his crotch whenever his daughter or sons stomped on his manhood first thing in the morning. That was what fatherhood was all about.

"Happy Valentine's Day daddy!" the girl sang as she nestled into his embrace.

"And why are you in here bothering me at this hour?" Mino asked, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Don't tell!" the girl hissed as she leaned in to his ear. "Mommy is making you a Valentine's Day breakfast like in those American movies you like to watch."

"Is she now?" Mino asked with a smirk. His baby girl was always more than willing to spill any secrets that might be lurking throughout the house. "What is she making?"

"Something called Eggs Benefit, I think."

"I think you mean Eggs Benedict, but that's close."

Mino held the girl as he stood up from the futon and placed her on his hip. No matter what work brought him that day, nothing could ruin the moment of being woken up by one of his two favorite girls.

"I love you, princess," he said with a smooch to her cheek.

"Ewwww, daddy, you got me wet!" the girl shrieked as he carried her into the front room where he knew the rest of his family waited to wish him a Happy Valentine's Day too.

_**Poetica**_

Usami Haruhiko sat at his desk working on a new proposal. Work didn't stop because some lover's holiday swept the nation. Plus, the only one he'd ever really _loved_ was in love with his brother, so it wasn't like he was expecting anything anyway. Of course that didn't stop him from thinking about Misaki, wherever he may have been at that time.

On his desk was the one thing he'd allowed himself to keep of the kid's. After he'd been turned down and all but been forced to forget the kid, a card had shown up at his house. On his birthday that year, Misaki had sent him a birthday card. Sure, it was under the pretense of coming from his brother, but Haruhiko knew better. Akihiko wouldn't give him a card to save his soul. Misaki, on the other hand, had wanted the two brothers to mend the rift. That wasn't going to happen, which was why on the subsequent two birthdays no card arrived.

But Haruhiko kept that one card on his desk at work as a reminder that at some point, someone had cared. That one point in time was all he needed to help him move forward with his life.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Misaki," he whispered like a ghost.

/GG/

**Author's note:**

***Himitsu means 'secret' or can imply the sentence 'it's a secret' or any variation thus. **

***The Great Gatsby is a great book that everyone should read.**

***Think of 200 yen as roughly two dollars, wherever dollars are used. **

***39.2 degrees Celsius means poor Shinobu is a very sick little terrorist. It's about 103.8 Fahrenheit. **

**I know that the word Pedo-jin is floating around for Ijuuin-sensei in the JR fandom. I am going to laugh at that since Misaki is hardly a pre-pubescent child. A person who likes teenagers is called an ephebophile. Now, based on the canon, Misaki was 21 before Ijuuin started to pursue him, so he wouldn't even fit into that category, though the Usami brothers would since Misaki was 18-19 at that time. I think there are enough ridiculous names going around for some of the characters in sensei's world, so I don't see the need to add yet another one. **

**Also, a friend and I have decided that Mino is not only straight (which I know people in this fandom hate with a passion) but also has kids. Thus, I included something for him in here as well. **


	2. Another Point in Time

And here is the White Day fic. Again, all characters from sensei's JR and SIH world are present and accounted for in this little tidbit here. For some reason Aki was in my head being a perv. Always him doing dirty things in my head. Anyway, I hope it meets everyone's approval.

**EDIT**

**Mature content WARNING! I've been asked to include something of the citrus variety in my Bound series. Now, I am not exactly comfortable writing such things, but I've decided to include something in the M-rated content bracket in this fic for said series. If you are of my younger readers, then skip Yoshino Chiaki and Hatori Yoshiyuki no Baai – Bound. **

Dedications:

The Mistake portion of this story is dedicated to Risque Tendencies, hopefully it gets you laughing.

The Bound portion of this story is dedicated to teabags, hopefully it lives up to your expectations.

The Romantica portion is dedicated to The Shattered Silence, because we all know how much she loves the pairing.

I wanted to thank everyone for reading and reviewing the prior chapter, among other things. I appreciate hearing that people like it.

Oh, and good luck on your tests tomorrow Risque. Don't know if you'll get to read this before heading off, but I posted it early just for you!

Cheers mates!

/GG/

**Another Point in Time**

_**Kanade Mino no Baai**_

Nothing was louder than piling the kids into the car and heading off on a trip; especially when none of them knew where they were going. Yurie wasn't allowed to know either, he'd decided. After all, it was White Day and he'd called in to the school and to his wife's work to ensure that they could have the day off. Too bad White Day wasn't like Boy's Day, when many schools aren't in progress. Not that it was known as Boy's Day anymore, but more Children's Day. Still, it had taken a lot of groveling to get his kids free for the day.

"Where are we going, daddy?" his eldest son asked as they turned the corner.

"That's a surprise for you, your mother, your brother, and your sister," the editor said, slyly.

"But how long until we get there?" his daughter piped in.

"We'll be there soon," he promised.

Yes, waking his kids at the crack of dawn any day of the week was bound to cause them a little stress. By noon all of them would want a nap that wasn't going to happen. He and Yurie would then have three cranky kids in the car trip home, until they fell asleep. Then the whole lot would wake up first thing the following morning, thanks to having too much sleep.

Of course it would all be worth it when the surprise was unveiled.

"Daddy!" his youngest son screamed, demanding attention.

"I guess it can't be helped," Mino said with a sigh, winking at his wife. "Honey, please hand the kids the gifts you find in the bag at your feet."

She nodded and handed out a small, wrapped present. Mino watched the kids from the rearview window as they pulled off the wrapping paper and looked at the gifts.

"Ahhhhhh!" squealed his daughter as she put the little hat with mouse ears onto her head. "We're going to Disney Land!"

Yurie looked at Mino with a start. "Really?" she asked, excited.

"Yes!" Mino shouted, putting his arms up in the air. "I'm taking everyone to Disney Land for the day to tell everyone that I accept their Valentine's Day proposal!"

The backseat erupted with excited shrieks and he could see tears in his wife's eyes. For over a year they'd wanted to take the kids to Disney Land, but didn't have the time or the money. He knew that he was about to make one of her dreams come true.

"I love you, Kanade Mino," Yurie whispered.

"Right back at you," he whispered, leaning over and pecking her on the lips and placed a mouse-eared hat on her head as well while they drove toward the greatest place on Earth.

_**Kisa Shouta and Yukina Kou no Baai – No Words Needed**_

"Do you really need to walk around wearing no clothes…in the middle of the afternoon, no less?" Kisa Shouta asked, displeasure marring his child-like features.

Yukina stopped on his trip from the bathroom to the area where his clothes were left out. He eyed Kisa with a grin. "I thought you liked looking at my tallywacker," he said with a smirk. Kisa blushed and averted his eyes, quickly. "Besides, I forgot my clothes, so it was an honest mistake."

The editor tried his best to not look at the beautiful body in his apartment. Currently the man was attempting to put his clothes on while Kisa almost drooled. He would have much rather had his boyfriend naked, but that would have ended up with the two of them playing swords, or something similar. Not that such an idea was a bad one, but they both needed to get to work if they wanted to earn money. Both had a partial day, but every sen* counted.

Eventually, his mind wandered enough that he just ended up staring at the gorgeous ass that was currently being covered. A short time ago that ass had been his, as was customary on holidays. They liked to mix things up a little.

'_I really am as straight as a rainbow, aren't I?'_ Kisa asked himself as he turned toward the door before he ended up in a compromising position. He didn't get far though before strong arms wrapped around him from behind. _'Just like in those damn manga!' _he spat to himself.

"Uh, Yukina, what are you doing?" He already knew the answer and he wasn't exactly opposed to it either as he felt something poking into his backside.

"I saw you leaving and I didn't want you to go, Shouta-san," Yukina breathed into Kisa's ear, making the smaller of the two shiver in anticipation.

"Don't you think it'd be a good idea to get dressed for work?" _'Of course not, I'd rather make love than go to work anyway.'_

"Eventually, but we still have a few hours and while I'd love to take a shower with you, first I'd like to…"

The college student didn't even need to continue on before his petite lover spun around and pulled him down into a searing kiss. The feeling was so erotic he almost came when the elder's hand started to hug his back.

It didn't take much longer for clothes to be removed and left on the floor. Bodies became sticky and fluids were exchanged in a heated manner that left both parties breathless. Eventually, still shining with sweat, both men were sated and lying on the futon, heartbeats racing.

"Kisa-san," Yukina mumbled, rather timidly for someone of his caliber.

"Um?"

"Would you come to the university tomorrow?" Kisa looked over as his lover with a questioning gaze. "Tomorrow I will be off around noon. I wanted to take you to lunch, for White Day."

Kisa's heart started to pound in his chest. They'd given something to one another for Valentine's Day, so he hadn't even thought about something romantic for White Day. He couldn't turn the man down if he wasn't prepared to offer something in return.

"Okay," he said with a smile. If Yukina was going to give him something extra for this holiday, then there's no way he'd be outdone on Black Day.

The look in Yukina's eye was enough to set them both off again, and thus another round of Seme-Kisa took place, much to the younger man's pleasure.

_**Egoist**_

'_Just fucking great!' _one annoyed literature professor complained to himself as he finished grading a stack of papers. He'd put them into two neat piles. One pile was for those with a smidgen of intelligence. The other pile was for people whose parent's never should have procreated. Out of two hundred and ninety papers, there were only five that existed in the smidgen of intelligence pile. _'One of these days I'm going to ask that idiot author why he let me become a professor, with that overly large melon on his neck he's sure to remember why I wanted to in the first place. I sure as hell can't remember.'_

Kamijou Hiroki's eyes blazed with contempt while he packed up his crap and left the office before his superior could return and find that idiot brat passed out on the sofa, yet again. Instead he was going to head off to the Paris Baguette* down the road. Far be it for him to do something only a twitterpaited high school boy with a crush would, but after receiving gifts on countless Valentine's Days, he was going to do something completely unexpected and pick up a small chocolate cake for his lover.

He scowled when the scene played out in his head. Nowaki would look at the cake and beam like a movie star from the 30's. Eventually Kamijou would end up in a hug that took his breath away. Words would be spit out; cake would be eaten, but not before the two ended up doing 'dirty' things on some surface of their apartment.

The idea of making love with his lover always turned Hiroki's face a deep shade of red. Surely everyone on the street could tell he was thinking about untoward things and thus forming some sort of opinion about him as he shuffled toward the subway. Eventually his mind got the better of him and he'd shouted out at a few passersby who happened to be in the vicinity; which of course made him look questionable, so a police officer stopped him and asked for an explanation. Said confession was a lie, of course, for all he told the man was that he wasn't feeling well and it was affecting his ability to think coherently.

Unfortunately this ended up with him being pushed into a cab and sent to the nearest hospital. Thankfully it wasn't the one Nowaki called home when he wasn't with Hiroki in the apartment, but it was more than enough to piss the man off further. In the end he forgot the damn cake and made it home just in time for his boyfriend to exit the stairwell.

"Hiro-san!" Nowaki called out as he saw his light opening the door to the apartment. Kamijou regarded him with a glare and walked into the apartment. The doctor ran after and jumped over the threshold and pulled the smaller man into a deep hug. "I'm glad you're here, Hiro-san. I was starting to wonder if you'd been ignoring me."

"What are you prattling about?" Hiroki snapped as he broke free from his constraints.

"I've been calling you and sending you messages for two hours," Nowaki stated matter-of-factly. "When you didn't respond I began to wonder what I'd done."

Hiroki rolled his eyes and pulled out his mobile. It was dead, which would explain why he hadn't received any messages. "You need to stop thinking the worst. When did all that start, anyway?" Nowaki was usually a calm and collected individual who didn't start thinking all sorts of crap when things were not smooth sailing.

Nowaki regarded Hiroki for a moment before removing his shoes and responding. "It doesn't happen often, Hiro-san, but there have been moments."

This confession caused Hiroki to sigh and scratch his head. "Listen, and listen well, Nowaki. If ever I am pissed at you, for any reason, expect to hear it straight from my mouth." It was blunt and rather devoid of emotion, but it made Nowaki's heart race. "And I'm sorry," Hiroki continued, turning away from his boyfriend. "I had intended to get a cake for White Day, but I got…sidetracked," he mumbled, embarrassed.

One large man in the doorway didn't know how to respond to hearing that his Hiro-san had actually planned on reciprocating on White Day for the first time in their relationship. He could actually feel a tear in his right eye start to trek its way down his cheek. Nowaki stepped up behind his lover and enveloped him in a hug, which caused the professor to tense slightly.

"Thank you, Hiro-san," he breathed, kissing the smaller man's hair. "You have no idea how that makes me feel."

Kamijou held in a harsh laugh. "Yes, Nowaki, I can tell how that makes you feel. I can feel your quick heartbeat and I can feel you bulging on my ass."

Normally such a snide comment would have broken the mood, but it did just the opposite. Nowaki picked up his flailing Hiro-san and carried him to the bedroom, while the elder snarled profanities in his face. The smile never left the doctor's eyes though as he gently placed them both on the bed. If he had his way, neither would be eating or sleeping that night.

_**Romantica**_

It was all set. Everything was going to be perfect for when his little lover woke up. Akihiko gazed longingly at the sleeping ball of Misaki on his bed. What he wanted to do was pounce and wake the boy up. They could then spend hours swapping fluids while his little uke begged for more…or tried to push him away. Either way he'd win; after all, he was Usami Akihiko. No one and nothing got in his way, even Misaki's reluctance.

Unfortunately they'd spent the better part of the night attached at the hips and Misaki needed to go to work in a few hours. Akihiko hadn't slept. Instead he'd called in his family's personal chef and had her create a spectacular breakfast so Misaki didn't have to cook that morning when he awoke from the dreams he was having.

How did Akihiko know Misaki was dreaming? The kid kept saying things like: No_, Usagi-san, don't lick me there!_, and _Usagi-san, please slow down, I want to be able to walk tomorrow_. Oh how cute the green-eyed siren was when he was sleeping. Usami almost wanted to jack off while watching him, but then Misaki would be annoyed and he may not have been amiable once he was awake.

No, for the first time in a long time, Usami Akihiko was going to be fully dressed when Misaki rose and keep his dick sheathed so as not to cause any embarrassment.

"Usagi-san…feels…good," the boy moaned, turning over in his sleep. That was a bad move on his part since it was easy to see that lovely thing called morning wood. Oh, how it looked delicious. Usami needed to leave before he turned that beautiful, erect sight into a lollypop and tried to find out how many licks it took to get to the creamy center. As it was, he was now going to have to go to the little boy's room and take care of himself, and quickly before the moaning mass on the bed woke up.

Usami left the bedroom and went into the bathroom. If he worked quickly he'd have himself taken care of, showered, and clothed within ten minutes. It was a difficult task, but he didn't care.

/GG/

One petite college student sat up with a start. He could smell food cooking and if the mastermind behind such activities was Usagi, then the whole condo complex was about to be blown into the stratosphere. That wasn't going to work, nor was it allowed on his watch.

Misaki jumped out of bed and fell to the floor with an umph, smacking his poor nose on the caboose of the damn train set.

"Stupid Usagi-san and his ridiculous antics!" Misaki moaned rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. He didn't even notice the blood that had started dripping since he was too worried about the place burning down.

Instead he crawled to the door, jumped to his feet, and hurried down the stairs…where he stopped short in amazement. Sitting on the table was a meal the likes of which Queen Elizabeth probably hadn't been accustomed to receiving. Not only that, but it actually smelled good.

Cautiously he made his way to the table and stared; his mouth salivating in a different kind of want and desire. Misaki was so caught up in gazing at the feast he didn't see or hear one quiet landlord walk up behind him, but he did feel said landlord's arms wrap around his body.

"My, my Misaki-pon, I didn't know we were going to be eating in the nude today or I'd have skipped the part where I dress in the morning," Usami purred in his ear.

At that moment Misaki looked down and realized that he was indeed naked, Misaki Junior was half erect and crusted with goop, and he was standing in the kitchen.

"Uh, Usagi-san, this isn't what it seems," Misaki stammered, trying to free himself from the vice-like grip.

"Oh, rea…" Usami didn't get his comment out because he felt something drip onto his arm. For a second he thought the kid was crying until he saw there were drops of blood on the sleeve of his shirt. He quickly turned Misaki around and his eyes went wide. "Misaki, your nose is bleeding."

A deep flush crept onto Misaki's cheeks as his hands went up to his nose. "This isn't what it looks like either, Usagi-san!" he cried when he realized how vulgar it made him look. Damn him for forgetting his clothes.

Usami smiled and grabbed the boy's hand. He pulled him to the kitchen where he wet a towel and started to wipe Misaki's nose. "Did you fall?" he asked. Misaki nodded. "You need to be more careful. I don't know why you always choose holidays to get hurt, but you sure have a curse of some sort."

Misaki recalled that on Valentine's Day he'd all but dismembered his finger. Then he realized it was White Day. No wonder his landlord thought he was cursed.

"Happy White Day, Misaki," Akihiko said, turning the boy toward the table of food. He finished wiping the kid's nose and led him back to the feast. "Today I get to feed you," he said with a sly grin.

"I'm not a child!" Misaki barked, trying to free himself again.

"Oh, no? Let's see here, Misaki," Usami said, pulling the much smaller male onto his lap and locking him there with his arms and legs. "You don't seem to be able to dress yourself, I had to wipe your nose for you, and it looks like you're crying."

"I am not crying, and I didn't mean for the other stuff to happen!"

"But you are crying, right here." Usagi pointed to Misaki's manhood, which had decided to jump to life again. "I'll stroke it and make it feel better."

"No…ahhhh…"

Misaki was a pile of goo after that, just how Akihiko liked him.

_**Onodera Ritsu and Takano Masamune no Baai**_

Onodera Ritsu was starting to abhor trains. They were crowded, they smelled, and his annoying boss (lover) always followed him to work like a stray mutt. He was just waiting for the day when his superior accosted him on the subway, thus making him unable to work in the same time zone ever again. Of course that would mean he'd have to leave Japan, but there were sacrifices one would need to make to keep one's sanity in check.

The train was rather packed and he was standing near the door, holding onto one of the rings above. Takano was just a short way down in the same car. Occasionally Ritsu would glance over at the man and they'd make eye contact. This ended with him blushing and moving his gaze to the floor out of sheer embarrassment.

'_Why do I keep looking at him? And what is he doing to my head!?' _Both were completely logical questions. _'I need to grow up and stop acting like a little boy with a crush. Wait, did I just…?' _Onodera would have continued chastising himself if he hadn't heard the deep voice of the other male in his right ear.

"Listen punk, you need to grow some manners in that thick head of yours. Anyone who was raised right would immediately get out of their seat when they see someone with age standing on a subway car."

Onodera looked over to see what mischief Takano was getting himself into. There was a kid with a sour expression on his face taking up two or more seats on the bench. Standing next to Takano-san was an elderly lady. She was carrying a large bag of something on her arm. The little brat wasn't moving his stuff or budging to assist.

Another man jumped into the mix.

"He's right you little shit. I've seen you before, taking up half a bench with all this crap you cart around. Use some common sense once in a while."

Still the kid didn't move.

"Ma'am, would you mind letting me carry your bag home for you?"

Onodera's eyes widened when he heard Takano ask that. He was surprised when the lady nodded her head and thanked him. Takano-san reached out and took the bag in his left hand and held out his right to escort her closer to where Ritsu was standing.

"Ritsu, I'm going to walk this lady home. You're coming with us."

The stunned editor didn't know how to respond, so he just nodded. When the subway car stopped and Takano stepped out, Ritsu walked close behind. He held the elder's bag in his hand while he watched in awe as his boss conversed with the lady and verified which way to her abode.

After a good twenty minute walk where Onodera learned the lady had five grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren, he and Masamune were on their way back to the subway. He didn't know how to react to what he'd just witnessed. Never in his wildest dreams…wait; it was just like when his senpai had helped that kitten all those years ago. In all that time apart, the one he'd been completely in love with had never changed.

"What are you thinking about, Onodera?" Takano asked, tired of the silence.

"I'm just remembering you and the kitten," Ritsu blurted out without thinking.

Masamune chuckled and put an arm around his junior's shoulder, pulling him closer as they walked. "If you have to remember me from back then, at least you are remembering my good parts."

'_There wasn't a bad part about you from back then, senpai,' _Ritsu said to himself, face turning a nice shade of ripe-strawberry red.

The two continued walking, Ritsu completely forgetting that there was an arm wrapped around his shoulder until Takano stopped and bought a rose from a street vender. When he realized how they'd been walking he jumped a few feet to the side, face burning with embarrassment.

"Here," Takano said, turning and facing his horrified lover. Ritsu reached out and took the rose. "This rose matches your face right now, Ritsu," the man stated, matter-of-factly.

"N-n-no, it does not!" Ritsu argued.

Takano laughed again. "Happy White Day, Ritsu," he said with a smile.

"W-what!" Ritsu looked shocked and glanced around to make sure there wasn't a crowd watching. No one seemed to be paying them any mind, even when Takano took hold of Ritsu's hand and pulled him into a building. "T-T-Takano-san…what are you doing?"

Within a second of the door to the building closing, Ritsu's mouth was covered and his oral cavity assaulted by his lover's tongue. He wanted to push away, but for some reason he just couldn't do it and he started to kiss back. Although he may have liked this, there was no way in hell he was going to admit he was in love with his exhibitionist of a boss. Not in a million, billing, gazillion years!

_**Terrorist – My Interest is You**_

It was the absolute picture perfect day, in his mind at least. He'd skipped school again and crashed on Miyagi's sofa, but didn't end up sick like last time. After the annoying underling professor skipped out he and his lover had christened the sofa, for the umpteenth time, and afterward ended up falling asleep together, naked, and content.

At least until the mid-day meal occurred and they had to wake up because of too much ruckus in the background. Go figure. Still, Shinobu wouldn't have changed anything for this holiday was going to be absolutely perfect. He didn't even complain when Miyagi had to go to classes. This ended up with Shinobu sitting in the office, by himself. And curiosity got the better of him.

The college student stood up and walked toward Miyagi's desk. He had never actually looked inside of the desk before, probably because he hadn't been alone for an extended length of time. He was definitely a cat at this point and inquiring minds needed to know.

Shinobu sat on Miyagi's chair, recalling times when he and the professor had used both professors' chairs as a way to make love. The thought made him a little horny, but since no one was around to take care of him, he talked himself down. Instead he pulled open a drawer and started to dig through the contents.

Day planner with class schedule; boring. Four packages of cigarettes, immediately thrown into the rubbish bin; that stupid professor was going to quit or get his ass kicked! A lighter; pocketed for ransom. Some sort of webpage list; left alone since it was also boring.

Then he pulled out a file folder with the words Terrorist Files written in English on the front.

"What in the hell are terrorist files?" Shinobu wondered aloud.

He opened the folder and stopped short. He was looking at pictures, of him, and them that he didn't remember seeing before. The first picture was of the two of them on their trip to Nagasaki a short time prior. They had been in front of The Atomic Bomb Museum when some foreigners walked by. Miyagi had asked for the girls to take a picture of the two of them.

The second picture was of Shinobu, sleeping on Miyagi's sofa. He couldn't even recall when the picture could have been taken. There had been so many times when he'd fallen asleep on the sofa in Miyagi's front room.

"When the fuck have you been taking these pictures, Miyagi?" Shinobu asked himself. "And why in the hell are they at work where my father can find them? Are you some sort of perverted stalker?"

"No, Shinobu, I'm not a perverted stalker."

Shinobu dropped the file folder and turned around to see Miyagi standing in the doorway with a pile of books in his arms.

"Then why are there pictures of me…us in your desk?"

Miyagi walked across the room and put his books down without saying anything. He then grabbed Kamijou's chair and pulled it next to where his little lover was seated. After a few moments he sat down and looked Shinobu in the face.

"I wanted pictures of us, Shinobu-chin. I like photos since they bring back memories. They are all moments in time I don't want to forget."

"What kind of memory does this serve?" Shinobu demanded, holding up a picture of Shinobu covered in goop from exploding food.

Miyagi giggled. "This is a funny reminder of you trying to cook. It makes me laugh when I'm having a bad day."

Shinobu let that go since it was a good answer. "Then how about this?" He held up another photo; this one of the two of them in an American restaurant on Christmas the prior year.

"It was a good day to remember. You told me that you'd been accepted into the law program a T-Dai, and I remember us spending the night together in the motel suite, making love all night long."

This caused the terrorist to blush as he too recalled the night. It had been one of his favorite days, thus far. Miyagi had been so gentle while they'd coupled that night. Each time he'd come had left stars in his vision and each time they'd gazed into each other's eyes.

"How about this one?" he asked, softly, feeling his emotions start to build up.

Miyagi took hold of the picture. It was one he'd taken on his phone of Shinobu studying. The picture made his heart proud.

"This picture is to remind me of how lucky I am to have someone so intelligent in my life. This picture means more to me than the picture I had of Sensei."

Tears started to well up in Shinobu's eyes that he pushed back as best as he could. It was not the time to cry. Instead he pulled out his mobile and showed Miyagi a picture he had taken when the man was cooking, wearing an apron he'd bought.

"I have one of those, too," he mumbled, not wanting to admit that he had been taking random pictures of Miyagi for years.

"Shinobu, you are so corny," Miyagi chortled, taking the phone and digging through the terrorist's pile of pictures.

"What!" Shinobu growled. "No way, you can't call me corny when you have pictures of me in your bloody desk, old man!"

A hand was raised and put onto Shinobu's head, petting him like one pets a dog. "I love you too, Shinobu."

The boy seethed, but let his lover continue searching through the pictures while he glared at him. The fact that they'd both been doing the same thing, without the other knowing, proved how close they really were.

_**Poetica**_

Usami Haruhiko walked along the grounds of St. Marie Academy*, rolls of paper in his hand. He was in the process of laying down the foundation of the new dormitory for the school. Normally he didn't need to show up himself, but for some reason he'd been called in because a tree was in the way and couldn't be cut down. So now he needed to work out all of the kinks to his original plan.

"Usami-san!"

Haruhiko turned around as Rumi ran toward him, holding a phone strap in her outstretched hand.

"Rumi-chan?" he asked, calmly.

"That guy you were with before, he dropped this and we didn't know how to get it back to him," the girl said, eyes sparkling up at the man.

The only person she could have been referring to was Misaki. A short time ago his inconsiderate brother had sent the poor kid to pick up something for him. Haru had been lucky enough to happen upon him while he was walking toward the main campus. Evidently when he'd called Akihiko, he'd dropped the strap from his mobile.

Now, in the case of a rich man, he'd normally just have forgotten about it. Akihiko could have easily bought the boy a new one. But…it gave Haruhiko an opportunity to visit Misaki. It was a chance to do something nice for the one who'd bewitched his heart.

"Thank you, Rumi-chan." The man took hold of the strap with a slight nod.

"This is from me, Usami-san," the girl said, blushing, and handing him a wrapped package of cookies before running off after her friends. She disappeared inside a building before he could thank her a second time.

/GG/

The elder Usami brother stood in the doorway of Emerald with his friend Isaka. Asahina stood slightly behind the two, keeping an eye out. Haruhiko knew that Isaka was one of those who needed a leash at times. It was common knowledge in a few places that Asahina was the main reason Ryuuichiro didn't go all sorts of insane on occasion. In a way, Haruhiko was jealous that his friend had found the one he loved and had managed to live with him without any opposition. Sometimes it made Haruhiko wonder, what if?

Though, at that time he was happier than he had been in a while. Misaki was in the process of helping two men put teddy bears and stuffed bunny rabbits onto the desks. Seeing Misaki, even just a little bit, was enough to make him feel that much happier. He looked at the strap and back at his brother's lover.

"Ryuuichiro, would you give this to him when he's done with…this?" Haru asked, handing Isaka the strap.

"Why don't you give it to him yourself?"

Haru took a deep breath and sighed. "Because Misaki has started rubbing off on me. I know that if I stick around, Akihiko will find out and I don't want to cause Misaki any trouble." _'Besides, just getting to see him right now is enough.' _

Usami Haruhiko took one last look at Misaki's cherub-like face and left the area. No matter what happened in the future, he'd always remember the smile on the kid's face. He'd also remember the feeling in his heart.

_**Yoshino Chiaki and Hatori Yoshiyuki no Baai - Bound**_

Chiaki rolled over in his extra large bed and smiled. He had every reason to since Hatori was sleeping less than a foot away from him. The man's face was tranquil, a small smile radiating like that of an angel in the process of having a good dream. Yoshino loved to watch his lover sleep. That stoic expression on his face evaporated and he was able to see a calmness overtake Hatori that didn't happen much when the editor was awake.

"Yoshino…" Obviously Hatori was dreaming or on the brink of waking up. Chiaki decided Tori was sleeping and lifted his hand to run a finger over the other's cheek. Never would such a thing happen if Hatori was awake. Chiaki was way too shy for that, but when the other man was asleep, anything went.

His lover's face was showing signs of stubble from the hair that grew, slowly, throughout the night. He could feel the little pricks with his fingertips. Yoshino loved the feel of the man's face on his digits. For some reason it made him feel as if they were closer when he could feel Hatori's face in his hands. Ways of bringing them closer always was at the forefront of his mind.

Chiaki started to pull his hand away, but was stopped as Hatori grabbed hold and held it to his face. He was sure Yoshino's heart all but stopped at the action, but he was so infatuated with the feel of his lover's fingers on his face, he didn't want it to stop.

"Good morning, Yoshino," Hatori whispered, slowly opening his eyes and looking into the face of his surprised boyfriend.

"T-Tori, how long have you been awake?" Yoshino wanted to die in that moment.

"Just a second," Hatori answered, moving his hand over to Chiaki's face and pulling the man in for a good morning kiss.

Chiaki melted into the kiss and allowed Hatori to pull his body flush against his own. He'd never tire of the feel of the other man's body next to his, even if he never came out and admitted such embarrassing actions.

"Don't you have to go to work soon?" Chiaki asked when his mouth was returned to him. He was still wrapped up in a hug, legs entwined under the covers.

"Nope, I took today off so we could be together."

Yoshino sat up, breaking free from the grip his beau had on him. "Really?" He hoped it was true and Hatori wasn't putting him on. It didn't seem likely the man would jest regarding that, but he was so busy at times, it felt like they never saw one another.

"I'm not going to lie to you Yoshino, ever. I took the day off so we could spend it together." Hatori pulled the smaller man back toward the bed. Eventually they were spooning one another in a very comfortable way. Yoshino loved feeling Hatori at his back as much as Hatori loved feeling the smaller man in his arms.

It was a rare day indeed in which the two could cuddle. Yoshino tried to think of a time when his characters did things in his manga, but none of them compared to the actual feeling of being held by someone you loved. In truth, some of his most recent developments had been thanks to the tender side of Hatori others rarely got to see. If Yoshiyuki saw through the façade of some story lines, he never showed it, so Chiaki kept using what he felt and experienced.

Hatori'd come to Chiaki's house late, or early, depending on how one looked at the time. By the time he'd managed to strip from his clothes and put on the spare pair of jimjams he kept at the other's house on, it had been almost four in the morning. Chiaki had been asleep, snoring softly. Moments after hitting the pillow, Hatori was also out like a light and the two slept together, peacefully, for a good number of hours before waking. That meant that nothing happened, which meant that neither he nor his lover had partaken of each other since Valentine's Day, a month prior.

So, Yoshiyuki slowly turned his lover around so the two were facing one another.

"Tori?" Chiaki asked, wondering why the feeling of being held had to be taken away.

"It's been a month," Hatori stated. "I want you."

Yoshino blushed and ducked his head. "You don't have to say it so…unromantic-like," he stammered.

"Then how would you have me say it?"

"I-I don't know, but not like that."

Hatori was now going to play with his prey a little bit. He reached over and started to maneuver his hand into the top of Chiaki's pajamas. Within moments his fingers had found their target and started to caress the little nub with his forefinger and thumb.

Chiaki moaned a little. "How'm I supposed to answer when you're doing _that_?" he asked, not sure whether he wanted to push into the touch or move away from it.

"You seem more than articulate enough to answer, Chiaki," Tori whispered, huskily.

"Not fairrr-ungh…" Chiaki grumbled as his manhood was slightly touched by Tori's knee.

"What was that?" Hatori asked, innocently.

"You're deplorable!" Yoshino whined with need.

"Then tell me, how do you want me to say it, Chiaki?" Hatori practically gleamed as his lover became putty in his hands.

One horny mangaka was almost ready to erupt since it had been so long. Masturbating held nothing on Hatori's nimble fingers, which were currently making his head swim in anticipation. "C-c-c-can't…embarrassing."

"Really?" Hatori asked, putting his hand into Chiaki's pants and running a finger over the dorsal nerve of his lover's cock.

Chiaki bit back a gasp and instead lowered his head to Hatori's still clothed chest. Those clothes really needed to come off. Nothing was going to be accomplished if they were fully clothed.

"Too…many…"

Hatori didn't quite understand what Chiaki was trying to say. "Too many what, Yoshino?" he asked, almost as his breaking point.

"C-c-clothes…" Chiaki croaked. "Please, Tori!" He was too far gone to worry about inhibitions. He just wanted Tori, nothing else. "Make love…please!"

This caused the larger man to chuckle as he removed both is probing hands and pulled his lover to him in a deep embrace. His lips found Chiaki's and soon their tongues were doing a ballet in each other's mouths. Without breaking contact, Hatori managed to remove both his and Yoshino's shirts before crashing their chests together.

Yoshino felt as if he was free-falling. The emotions that Hatori evoked always felt like a tidal wave crashing into his chest. Whenever coupling occurred, he felt like no one else existed in the world but him and Tori. It didn't matter what else was going on, as long as he could feel the other man out.

"Pants!" Chiaki managed to gasp when they pulled away for air. They made quick work of them and were soon lying next to one another, Hatori's leg over his hips.

"I love you, Chiaki," Hatori whispered as he maneuvered himself on top of his lover. He looked at Chiaki's wanton eyes and fell in love all over again.

Yoshino pulled Hatori's face down into a kiss as he felt himself become full. Stars flashed in his peripheral vision as Tori moaned, causing Chiaki's lips to quiver. He held on tightly as they made love for the first time in too many days. _'I love you too, Tori,'_ he thought as his mind became engulfed with the man he adored.

/GG/

Drowsy and in need of a shower, Hatori held onto Chiaki, hips still attached to one another. Neither wanted to move away from the sensual embrace that held them together. Making love was the only way Hatori felt he could truly show his feelings. Everything else was subpar when it came to the connection he and Chiaki shared when affixed with one another.

"Yoshino?"

"Hm?" the smaller man asked, too sated to do anything else.

"Are you happy…with me?" he asked softly.

Chiaki didn't even think before answering. "I can't be without you, Tori, you are my reason…" He didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before he fell back asleep.

That answer completely woke Hatori up though as his heart thumped in his chest. How could his Chiaki say such innocent, yet thought provoking things? Hatori smiled. "Happy White Day, Chiaki," he whispered before closing his eyes. He'd happily lie with the man he loved while he slept. There wasn't any better use of his time than holding Yoshino in his arms.

_**Yokozawa Takafumi and Kirishima Zen no Baai**_

Toy stores were **NOT** his forte. The last time he'd been in one was on a crazy sale day when Hiyori'd insisted on going to pick up some new robot dog Honda had created that had just hit the shelves. After seeing the price of said toy, and getting trampled by hundreds of snot-nosed brats, Yokozawa never wanted to go into one again. But there he stood, ready to walk through the door and see if he could find something for the little girl who had stole his heart…though no way in hell would he admit that to Kirishima. It was hard enough admitting he liked the man, but to say he'd also fallen in love with his daughter, on a different level, was something else entirely.

To him, that little girl deserved the world, if he could manage to find it for her. However, looking in the window of the toy store, he could tell that there was nothing he would want to get her. Hiyori's grandparents and father were more than capable of splurging and getting her all manner of unnecessary crap. When it came to giving back something to a child who took the time to give him a Valentine's Day gift, he didn't think toys or the like were enough.

How could he even begin to find what she deserved when he'd procrastinated a whole freaking month before even looking?

Fate…or so it would seem.

Within moments of deciding that toys were rubbish, he felt the wind start to blow his overcoat. It moved to the right, which caused the man's head to turn slightly and he saw a jewelry store just up the way. Now, he was just a salary-man, so jewelry was a little out of his league. So was giving a tween something so extravagant. Still, he was curious and walked toward the front of the shop.

That was when he saw **IT**. The perfect gift for Hiyori was right in the window of the shop between the toy store and the jewelry store.

/GG/

Kirishima was running late, which in all honesty wasn't really a big surprise. Meeting after meeting had piled up and then he'd received a call from Hiyori's school. His daughter had vomited during recess and needed to be taken home. Rather than pester Takafumi with such nonsense, Zen had rushed from the office to the school, picked up his daughter, and brought her home. After she was lying in bed, sleeping soundly, he'd started on some phone calls and for some reason people just didn't know how to make it quick. Already he was thirty minutes late in contacting his newest editor, which didn't look good on his part since he was kind of a stickler for being punctual.

Eventually he'd managed to finish with the phone call when Yokozawa'd let himself through the door. He was rather embarrassed when he rushed out the front door to make the call in the open so as not to interrupt the signal to his mobile. This, of course, let him finish the call to the new editor quickly, and without incident, at which point he walked back inside and followed the voice of Yokozawa toward Hiyori's room.

"Wow!" Hiyori said, weakly.

"I should have waited to give you my White Day gift when you weren't sick." Kirishima could tell Yokozawa was having a difficult time with this situation. His daughter hadn't been sick in front of him, so an ill child was completely new to the man.

"No, I'm glad you got this for me. No one ever gets me grown-up stuff."

Zen peaked into the room and saw that Yokozawa had gotten Hiyori a child-sized purse in her favorite colors. It wasn't a toy purse bought at a novelty store though; it was a legitimate handbag similar to what Hiyori's mother had used when she'd been alive. Pride welled up inside of the man as he watched the interaction from the door between the man who owned his heart and the girl who owned his soul.

"I think you should go back to sleep," Yokozawa said, gruffly. "I don't want your father to know that I woke you up for such a trivial matter."

Kirishima stole from the doorway so as not to alert either that he'd been witness to the exchange. He barely heard Hiyori thank him and promise not to tell her father when she was better. She'd pretend to be surprised when she woke up and saw it. The head editor would let Hiyori's plan go uncontested, but he was so going to pounce on the man he loved.

/GG/

After a quick bite to eat and the cleaning of the dishes, two grown men were sitting on the sofa drinking beer and watching Manchester United get their asses handed to them. When he was sure his darling daughter was asleep, Kirishima stood up, shut her door, and walked over to his unsuspecting victim. Slowly he lowered his body down so he was sitting on one confused and embarrassed tsundere's lap.

"Kirishima, what in the hell?" Yokozawa hissed; looking around to make sure the kid hadn't walked in.

"I'm paying you back for what you did for my daughter. Consider this my White Day gift to you," Kirishima whispered, slyly.

Yokozawa's eyes bugged as he felt the elder's hand start to rub him through his trousers. "You already know how I feel about…with her…"

Eventually Zen was going to break his lover of his fear. He and his wife had been intimate plenty of times when Hiyori had been in the house. Unfortunately it was going to be baby steps, which was why he'd called his mother to come over and sit with Hiyori for a few hours.

"It's alright, Takafumi," Kirishima whispered into Yokozawa's ear. "I booked us a room down the street. We'll have a few hours while my mom is here to consummate our first White Day together."

To say he wasn't turned on would have been a lie, but the way the older man was going about it had almost freaked Yokozawa out. Before he'd had a chance to even complain about leaving a sick kid with a sitter, his lips were stolen and he was kissed senseless, Kirishima's hand still massaging an important part of his anatomy. Then the doorbell rang and he knew it was something he'd not be able to talk himself out of, no matter how hard he tried.

_**Yanase Yuu no Baai**_

'_Well, that was completely unexpected,' _Yanase thought as he walked across the street. Normally a day such as White Day would have gone over his head and he would have let it go without a second thought. Then he remembered that on Valentine's Day he'd all but ignored one person for a slim chance that Yoshino'd remember their normal history for that day. In the end he'd spent the day alone, with a big bouquet of flowers.

A month later, completely serendipitous, he ended up running into something that made his heart jump a little. Then he remembered the flowers he'd received and knew it was the perfect way to reciprocate, even if it ended up meaning nothing. Obviously some American idiosyncrasies had made their way into the Japanese culture. So, thinking that it was a little funny, he'd decided to send the man a little surprise.

After sending the 'surprise' Yanase went about his walk. He was on his way to work on one of his mangaka's stories. She was late in getting her issue out and had sent out an SOS, so Yanase wouldn't be spending this elusive holiday with anyone either. Such was his life at times, it seemed.

/GG/

An hour later and Yuu was elbows deep in ink, trying to get all manner of pictures done. This time the mangaka was really, really behind and it was looking like they wouldn't get everything turned in for the printing. He was waiting for her to contact her editor, Onodera Ritsu, and let him know that it wasn't going to happen. On her word, she'd ended up with a death in the family and thus didn't have time to finish. Had it been any other issue Yanase would have scolded her, but it wasn't her fault that her father had died, so Yanase worked as fast as he could to help her out.

_Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!_

Yuu took out his mobile and looked at the number before opening the phone and reading the text message.

_I presume you're the one who sent me the singing telegram. Not something I'd have suspected from you on a normal day Yuu, but as a joke, I can see it as your style. Either way, it definitely cheered me up. I expect you to comply and come with me to Canada in a few weeks, as promised. Thanks. _

Yanase smiled as he put his phone away. Leave it to that man to see through the whole thing and see it as a joke. How the man knew him. It was turning out to be an okay White Day.

_**Mistake**_

"You do realize, Ryuuichiro-sama, that wearing such an outfit is not something a man in your position should be wearing, right?" Asahina asked, gazing at his lover thoughtfully. For some reason, unknown to everyone (including, probably, Isaka himself) the man had decided to wear a white tuxedo with a red heart pattern on the cuffs, cummerbund, and lapel.

Now, to be fair, Kaoru would have been giddy to see his lover wear that in the bedroom. He'd have loved to strip the gorgeous man down to his skivvies and have his way with him, while wearing the jacket. However, he did not like to see his boss wearing the thing, even if his lover and boss were one in the same person.

Of course Isaka looked adorable in the outfit, but work was not the place to be prancing around like some gigolo on the prowl. The whole getup was a mockery of the institution that was publishing. Already the men of Emerald had managed to snap a few pictures of the boss (he was sure Kisa was responsible for that one since Hatori wouldn't care (nor was he even at work that day), Takano was too busy rearranging the stuffed toys in the office, and when Ritsu had seen the outfit he about had an aneurysm). Not to mention those in the various other departments had already started taking said picture, captioning it, and posting it on various online venues.

"I think you should wear this matching tie, Asahina," Isaka crooned, throwing his lover a smile.

"You couldn't pay me to wear that," the man deadpanned. "I think you should change before you cause any more commotion. Just because it's White Day doesn't mean you should dress like…" He didn't even know how to finish the sentence without sounding like a douche bag, so he left it where it was.

Isaka pouted and walked to his office to remove himself of the clothing. "You're no fun." Once inside he shut the door and locked it, loudly so his secretary could hear him. This move surprised Asahina. Normally Isaka was cool with the rough treatment Kaoru used to keep him in line, so maybe he'd gone too far. But, he wasn't about to let the man know that, so he walked off.

The big man on campus started to remove his clothes with a smirk on his face. He was sure there would be a knock on the door a few moments after he'd gotten most of the clothes off. Asahina would demand he open the door, which he would when he was down to his underwear. The two would 'make up' and initiate a new toy he'd gotten from Kisa-san, who claimed he'd gotten it as a gift too.

So he waited. One second. Two seconds. Three. Four.

A dozen seconds went by and Isaka was in his ready position…but there came no knock.

He walked over to the window and peaked out and saw that the man wasn't even at his desk. Was he really that angry? Just a month ago the man had all but put a tree full of condoms on the head honcho's desk as a joke, but he couldn't take one himself?

Slightly worried and highly annoyed, Isaka dressed and slammed out of the room in search of his lover. Sure, he was known to take a joke a little too far at times, but this one was harmless. Ryuuichiro tore through the building, startling a few people and all but knocking Ijuuin-sensei on his ass. He didn't even apologize as he rounded a corner toward the HR department. Asahina wouldn't have gone there!

Isaka was less than twenty feet from the door to HR when an arm came out of a door and pulled him into a broom cupboard. He allowed his eyes to adjust and his sense of smell to deaden slightly due to all the chemicals. Then he noticed who had been so bold as to touch him without his permission. His eyes widened when he realized it was the man of his desire.

"What in the…?" he spit, but quickly found his mouth covered with a hand.

"Shhhhh, Ryuuichiro, we can't let anyone know we're here," Asahina whispered.

"Why are we in the closet?" Isaka hissed as he wrenched his face away from the offending hand.

Asahina smirked as he locked the door. "We haven't been in here before," he stated.

"No kidding, why would be go into the janitor's closet?"

Again another impish grin laced Asahina's face as he reached around and grabbed Isaka's nice ass through his normal work clothes. "Why do you think?"

It took less than a second for the idea to dawn on Isaka before he shook his head. No matter how many pranks he pulled, his lover was always one step ahead of him. There was no way he could win.

"Happy White Day, Isaka-san," Asahina said with a smile as he reached his hand into the other's pants to fondle him.

"Don't you call me that when we're about to…uhhnnnn…" Isaka's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he felt the first signs of pleasure. Who the fuck cared if they were in the closet. They would come out when they were good and ready.

_**Ijuuin and Misaki**_

One smarmy mangaka made his way through the building to where he knew Takahashi Misaki was assisting. The Emerald department was in need of some cleaning and the kid had been called into action to help Takano Masamune with the placement of teddy bears. It all had to do with that sneaky bastard, Isaka, and Usami Akihiko's ridiculous obsession with stuffed toys. Someone who lived with hundreds of stuffed creatures was sure to know how to set them up nicely.

Thus, Ijuuin rounded the corner only to see Misaki's legs hidden under a huge pile of stuffed animals. He suppressed a giggle and walked forward toward the unsuspecting boy. A slight nod was aimed at the head editor, who glanced at him quizzically. Kyo didn't bother with any pleasantries. He walked right up to the Misaki/stuffed toy tree and placed a kiss on the boy's cheek.

"Happy White Day," he purred into Misaki's ear, causing the entire mountain of dolls to crash to the ground. A red Misaki looked from him to Takano, who had a whimsical look in his eyes. Again, just as he had before, Ijuuin walked off without saying or doing anything else. He was sure to catch hell from that little gesture, but he didn't care one iota.

**/GG/**

**Author's Note:**

**Sen is a very small type of Japanese currency. **

**Paris Baguette is a chain bread store throughout parts of Asia. I used to get sweet breads there when I lived in South Korea and China. There was one across the way from my motel when I visited Kyoto last year. **

**Saint Marie Academy is in the show Yumeiro Patissiere, which I've mentioned in What If and My Interest is You. **


	3. The Most Special Person in the World

Hello everyone and thanks for dropping by. Hopefully the following makes someone smile.

The Sardonica portion is dedicated to Risque Tendencies, who loves the couple, even if they are innocent in this story.

Cheers mates! Read on!

/GG/

The Most Special Person in the World

Black Day (The actual origins of this holiday are not from Japan, but from South Korea. I've met a few individuals from Japan who celebrate this holiday just because it's an extra day to get together with friends. It is not a holiday that is practiced like White or Valentine's Day by most of the country. In America we have S.A.D., or Singles Awareness Day that falls on the 13th, 14th, or 15th of February, but it didn't work well with the story, so I chose to incorporate this specific day instead.)

_**Poetica (Usami Haruhiko and Takahashi Misaki)**_

It was cold. Not only was it uncomfortable, but people kept knocking Takahashi Misaki in the shoulders as he tried to navigate his way through the crowds of people blocking his path to school. He was late thanks to one ridiculous man with lavender eyes…and his ass hurt. Stupid man had decided to try attaching a vibrator to his penis and fucking poor Misaki senseless. That ended up with a college student with a sore rump, not to mention being late for school.

"Stupid Usagi," the youth uttered to himself. "He could have loosened me up a bit more." A flush appeared across Misaki's face as he even contemplated the thought. '_No, what in the hell was he thinking? Why did we need something like that to begin with?´_ Then his eyes shot open and he paused mid-step. '_Am I not enough anymore?' _

All sorts of unnecessary thoughts shot into Misaki head as he wondered what was happening with Usami he didn't realize he'd taken another few steps and smacked into someone standing in front of him.

"Misaki?"

He recognized that voice and it wasn't one he was particularly interested in hearing. Of course he couldn't ignore the voice and he didn't want to be rude, so he looked up and gazed into the face of Usami Haruhiko, who was actually a little worried.

Haruhiko shot a hand out and put it on Misaki's forehead, not really thinking about the action. "Are you sick?"

Misaki didn't quite know how to handle the sudden skinship and just shook his head, having gone completely mute.

"You feel a little warm, maybe you should go home," Usami-aniki voiced. "Does Akihiko know you left the house feeling this way?"

For the first time since meeting the man, Misaki almost felt a semblance of care beneath his stoic persona. The two were standing in the street, Haruhiko's hand on his forehead, and Misaki wasn't moving. He didn't know how to move; it was almost as if someone had cast that spell petrifaction spell from Harry Potter on him.

Usami-ani was at a loss for words. He lowered his hand and reached for Misaki's. The boy's hand was like ice, so it confirmed that his thoughts on some sort of sickness being present. Without any further thinking he took off his overcoat and wrapped it around Misaki's shoulder.

"No, don't give…" Misaki'd finally found his voice. He reached over to take the jacket off.

"No, you keep it Misaki. I may not care much for my brother, but I don't want you to get any sicker than you already are. If I offer you a ride back to Akihiko's apartment, will you turn me down?"

'_Yes!_' "N-no, but aren't you busy. I don't want to keep you from your work."

Haruhiko nodded. "I am on my way to school to design a new auditorium. Shidou Academy* is out of the way, but I can drop by Akihiko's complex on the way out of town."

Misaki didn't know how to accept or decline the elder Usami's offer. He knew that Usagi-san would have a conniption fit if he found out that Haruhiko had spoken to him. That would probably end up with either the man pouting, or Misaki's poor posterior being turned into Usagi's personal pincushion for a second time. He wasn't sure he could handle that. Still, he was feeling a little weak, so maybe going home and sleeping before going to work was a better alternative than going to his one class at university.

He nodded his head in compliance. "I'll take the ride, Usami-ani, but you need to drop me off a block from the condo." How in the hell was he supposed to explain the reason why?  
Luckily for him he needn't try and explain. Haruhiko was more than smart enough to figure it out. "My vehicle is in the parking garage just over there."

They walked in communal silence. Misaki's mind was on how Akihiko would react to him accepting his lover's older brother's assistance. Haruhiko's mind was on something completely different.

'_Ironic that on both Valentine's and White Day I was alone when it's a holiday meant for couples. Then hits this ridiculous Black Day, a quasi-holiday for singles, and I am not alone,' _he thought as he navigated the vehicles in the parking garage and let Misaki inside. _'If only,' _he mused to himself.

_**Mistake**_

"Ryuuichiro, you do realize that we _are _in fact 'together', thus Black Day does not have any meaning for us, nor has it for the past decade, right?" Asahina asked, annoyed out of his mind at being forced from his bed as the clock hit five in the morning.

"Don't care. We need to go to work early so we can go out and do something dangerous tonight to celebrate with all the people who are not otherwise engaged," Isaka crooned with an impish grin.

"Sometimes I wonder why I find you so irresistible," Asahina groaned, pulling the pillow out from under his head and covering said melon with the sleeping apparatus.

Isaka was having none of that and jumped onto the bed, straddling his lover's backside with his long legs. "Now, now, now, Kaoru! It isn't time to sleep!" Isaka started to tickle his lover's sides with his hands in an attempt to get the other man out of bed.

Asahina did his best to keep from letting those sensations turn into laughter, but that failed miserably when Isaka's nimble fingers found one of his erogenous zones. Once said area of his anatomy was touched a chain reaction occurred. Instantly he flipped himself over, causing Ryuuichiro to fall to his back. Kaoru used his acrobatic skills and jumped on top of Isaka's waist, pinning the slightly smaller man to the bed. He grabbed for his lover's free hands and pinned them to the headboard then glared at Isaka with a predatory gaze.

"Ryuuichiro," he said sternly, "it's not nice to wake up someone who only fell asleep a few hours ago thanks to a libido that seemed to need sating. Would you kindly let me have another two hours of sleep before dragging me off on some ridiculous scheme?"

Isaka grinned like a mad man and used his upper body strength to reach up and plant his lips on Asahina's without any assistance from the man. He was fairly turned on in that position and he was sure his naked lover could feel him starting to bulge in his own underwear.

"No, Ryuuichiro, I don't want to do this either. I'm tired." There was a finality to the statement.

"Then we will both call in sick today," Isaka stated, proudly.

"_We_ will do no such thing. This isn't like Lunar New Year, no one in the country takes this day off."

This time it was Isaka who wasn't having any of it. "True…but as the boss I can take off when I want to and if I want my secretary to assist me with work at home, then that is my prerogative."

There was no denying that the man was telling the truth, no matter how much Asahina wanted to deny the drivel. It wouldn't bode well to take off though as certain departments were coming up on Hell Week and thus needed all the support they could get.

"Kaoru, I'd like it if you would stay home and _take care_ of me," Isaka whispered slyly.

Okay, he would play his lover's little game. "And what would you like me to take care of, Ryuuichiro-sama?" He dropped Isaka's hands but didn't move from his position atop the other's abdomen.

Isaka reached up and pulled his lover down so his ear was right near his mouth. He used his tongue to outline the helix of the man's ear, eliciting a moan of wonton desire. Then he blew, softly, onto the spot he'd just greased with his own saliva.

"My cock would very much like to feel the insides of you," he breathed huskily. "I need you to take my manhood and ride it; it's the only way to take care of me right now."

Asahina sat back with a start, eyeing his lover with curiosity. Normally Ryuuichiro liked to be pegged, but on occasion the man was more than happy to do the pegging. The last time they'd even switched it up a little was so long ago Kaoru could hardly remember when it happened.

"Come again?" he asked, perplexed. Isaka was being awfully forward.

Isaka used his arms to push himself up so his partner was sitting on his lap. He wrapped his arms around Kaoru's chest and leaned in, licking from the man's chest up to his neck and arriving at his lips, where he nipped them slightly.

"I want to _take_ you today, Kaoru." Then the smarmy attitude was immediately dropped and a serious look overtook his eyes. "Please, let me love you today."

Asahina couldn't say no to that voice, so he nodded his head and reached for the preparatory materials they kept in the nightstand. "Only if we look each other in the eyes the entire time, Ryuuichiro-sama."

A smile broke out on Isaka's face as he pulled Asahina in for another kiss. He allowed his underwear to be removed and then could feel as Asahina lathered his cock with lube. Not the reluctant lover in any way shape or form, he loved it when they switched it up and he knew his boyfriend did too.

_**Yokozawa Takafumi and Kirishima Zen no Baai**_

Leave it to all the single idiots in his department to call in sick on Black Day just so they could go to single's bars and hook up with other single people. Yokozawa was not in a good mood. More than half of his staff had decided it was a good time to find a quick fuck, which was all Black Day was for single people in his area, rather than find out why sales were low in certain districts.

Instead, Yokozawa had to do the work of three people, and manage the department. Someone was certainly going to end up thrown into the garbage disposal if he had his way. He wasn't sure who yet, but he knew it was going to happen.

"Onii-san!"

That was not what he'd expected to hear. In fact no one in the vicinity had ever expected to hear someone calling Yokozawa by that title, so when he looked up, all eyes were on him.

Yokozawa looked at the door and saw Hiyori standing in the jam with the purse he'd gotten for her for White Day over her shoulder. He sweat dropped slightly before clearing his throat. How was he supposed to refer to her while in a public setting? It wasn't as if he could call her something familiar in front of his colleagues.

"Uh…hello Kirishima-chan!" he said, standing up and walking toward the girl. He could hear his co-workers commenting on the kid belonging to Kirishima Zen and wondering how he knew Yokozawa.

"Kirishima-chan?" the girl asked. "Have you ever called me that, onii-san?"

Yokozawa laughed slightly and led her over to the desk next to his. "Why are you here?" he asked, beyond curious as she sat on a chair.

"Daddy said I could come see you. He's coming to get you soon so we can all go out to eat." Hiyori started to spin in her chair. Yokozawa thought about the forthcoming while he felt every single eye in the room bore into the back of his skull. It wasn't a secret that he and Kirishima were friends, but this was hinting at something slightly more.

"I didn't realize we'd had plans, I must have forgot," Yokozawa pondered, wondering when he'd made plans.

"You didn't know, it's supposed to be a secret," Hiyori answered, gaily. "So pretend I didn't tell you." She winked at him and Yokozawa couldn't keep a smile from being brought forth. He quickly extinguished it and eyed the people in the department.

"I'm sure you have something to do," he barked. Hiyori giggled. Yokozawa narrowed his eyes. Surely the girl was unaccustomed to his volatile nature.

"Daddy said you can be rather austere with your co-workers," she said. Yokozawa wondered where she'd learned the word austere. How old was she again? "You'll make more friends if you're nicer to them, onii-san."

An amused expression lit Yokozawa's eyes as he realized she was playing him the fool and he'd fallen for it. No wonder though, Hiyori was smarter than he and Kirishima combined, that was for sure. He reached over and patted her head before snarling at his colleagues, "Get back to work!" The girl giggled again.

Kirishima decided to make a grand entrance at that time, making a few of his female, and at least one male, co-worker stop and stare. Takafumi knew they had their eye on his lover, but they were barking up the wrong tree there. Even if he'd wanted to, which he didn't, there'd have been no way he could have gotten rid of Kirishima. That annoying single father was as necessary to him as the air he breathed. He'd roll over dead before admitting that to anyone, though.

"Yokozawa, I'm here to relieve you from babysitting duty. You're to accompany me and my lovely daughter here to dinner at Kozue*!" Kirishima sing-songed as he picked his daughter up and spun her around.

A few people who heard the name of the restaurant gasped while Yokozawa stood up and turned bright red. "Are you fucking kidding me, Kirishima-san!" he snapped, forgetting that Hiyori was in her father's arms. When he saw her expression he immediately put a cork on his temper. "I mean, that's an expensive place, I can't afford to pay for my portion of the meal!"

Zen smirked, "I, and everyone in the area, knows that, Yokozawa. But I happened to know someone who knows someone. We're already paid for and Hiyori's always wanted to eat at a fancy restaurant. That's why we're leaving early, so she can get dressed in a new outfit her grandparents picked out."

Takafumi didn't quite know how to react. In no way was this an acceptable gift. Neither he nor Kirishima were able to afford such a luxury. But the hopeful look in Hiyori's eyes made his heart melt and his sour expression soften. He couldn't say no to the brat.

'_Of course!_' he thought. '_That's the reason she's here, so I won't turn him down, fucking bastard!_' He couldn't say no to Kirishima if his daughter was in on it. That slimy asshole had used his daughter as a pawn and by the look on Zen's face, he knew that Yokozawa had figured it out.

"So, let's go Yokozawa, we can't keep Princess Hiyori out too late. Her coach turns back into a pumpkin at eight o'clock."

The sale's man grumbled as he gathered his belongings. He was so going to withhold sex for a very, very, very long time.

_**Sardonica (Usami Akihiko and Sumi Keiichi)**_

Happening upon one Usami Akihiko was a rare occurrence, especially if said author was _not _in the company of his lover. Sumi Keiichi considered himself lucky to have stumbled on said man on Black Day, the celebration of being single. Sure, he was single and wished he wasn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't play a little with the man his friend was currently fucking.

"Usami-sensei," the young man said, with a slight bow. "I'm surprised to run into you without Misaki."

The author glared at him like he was a stinkbug. Inside that made him smile, but he kept his composure.

"And you want..?" Usami asked, bored.

"I just wanted to congratulate you on your latest novel. I am told it sold really well," Sumi answered truthfully. "I found it contrite and boring, myself."

"Then why did you read it?" Sumi could tell the man was doing his best to appear interested in the conversation, but he knew that if it didn't include Misaki, then no conversation was worth it.

"I was intrigued by three characters though, Usami-sensei."

"Oh?"

Sumi smirked. He was going to have fun with this one. "I found the one character who the main protagonist loved to resemble Misaki, which makes me wonder if that main character wasn't based on you," he said with an evil glint in his eye. "Yet, I related to the third character more, the interloper in the perfect little story line…" he leaned in, grabbing Usami by the arm and pulling his ear to his mouth. He could feel the little hairs on Usami's ear on his lower lip while he whispered, "I am curious as to why in your story, you chose me in the end, and not Misaki?"

Keiichi leaned back, a devilish gleam in his eyes. He held back his amusement at the look the Great Usami Akihiko was giving him. Oh how he wished he was a miscreant and could lay a kiss on the man's stunned face, but he was a gentleman and had bowed out gracefully all those years before. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't freak the guy out a little more.

"Good-bye, my little uke," he said, patting the older man on the head like a dog as he walked on, letting his hand trace down the author's back as he made his departure.

_**Terrorist – My Interest is You**_

Miyagi Yoh sat on the subway, a frown and icy stare keeping anyone from sitting next to him. Of all the crap to happen on a day when he actually needed the stupid car. At least the auto repair shop had a tow-truck so he'd avoid having to pay for one of the overpriced companies in the area. Still, money didn't grow on trees and it wasn't as if Miyagi was a rich man. Contrary to popular belief, he taught because he liked teaching, not because he was aiming to become a millionaire.

Riding the subway wasn't something he was accustomed to doing since he usually just drove everywhere. The last time he'd ridden the subway was because Shinobu'd gotten it into his thick little head that they needed to be kind to the environment at least one day a week. Sadly, they didn't get to spend all the time together he'd have liked to, but occasionally a day happened when both were free. On that day the little brat had insisted they go out to eat at a sushi restaurant near his university. Thus, one annoyed professor let one little terrorist take him to the restaurant via subway. True, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either.

Now, less than two weeks later, Miyagi was stuck on a subway again. Only this time it was because his car wouldn't turn over. He wasn't exactly good with cars, but he knew it had something to do with the starter since it didn't even click when he turned the key in the ignition. That meant he'd be out a pretty penny when it came time to pay the bill.

The professor glanced at the stop schedule and realized he needed to exit when the train stopped, so he stood up and pushed his way to the door. While subways were convenient, during rush hour they were the bane of the commuter's existence. Miyagi knew he was going to need a really long shower when he finally got home.

/GG/

The old man was late! Shinobu glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time as he finished cooking the pasta noodles. By chance he'd happened upon another student a few days ago who was cooking something in the home economics room on campus. Shinobu never did get his name, but he was tall with sandy hair and brown eyes. The man kept going off on someone named Kisa-san and how much that person would love that he was learning how to make something as tasty as penne marinara.

So Shinobu asked if he could join and he learned how straightforward it was to create as well. That little bit of excitement led the university student to his current activity of creating the exact same dish. In truth he was surprised at how easy it was to boil the noodles and to create the sauce. If he'd known how simple Italian recipes were he'd have started learning much earlier.

Once the sauce was recovered and simmering at a low temperature, Shinobu cut some bread from the Paris Baguette and laced them with butter and garlic. The other student had said that garlic flavored bread was really popular so Shinobu thought he'd try. Of course putting cloves of garlic into each piece of bread looked a little odd, but who was he to argue someone who'd taught him how to make pasta.

After he finished shoving garlic cloves into the bread and adding a good dollop of butter, he put the garlic bread into the oven and went about setting the plates for dinner. This was one meal he was sure Miyagi would appreciate since he knew his sister knew how to cook pasta thanks to their mother. All that was missing was one professor.

/GG/

Said man finally made it to his door and let himself inside. He was tired and more than ready to just order a pizza instead of cook or let Shinobu loose on his poor kitchen. Once his shoes were off he caught a whiff of the garlic and it made him gag.

"Shinobu!" he almost roared, "what in the hell are you burning?"

The terrorist walked toward the entryway and glared. "I'm making pasta and garlic bread you jackass. Try to be a little more mature about the situation or I won't cook again."

"Is that a promise?"

Shinobu scoffed and walked back into the kitchen. Miyagi followed and was rather surprised to see the table set and the dish of pasta sitting on a plate warmer. It was neither burnt nor overly soggy, by the look. The red sauce actually looked rather tasty too, but the overpowering stench of garlic was causing Miyagi's eyes to water.

"Shinobu," he spoke, calmly. "How much garlic did you use?"

"I put about ten cloves in each piece of bread before I cooked it," the boy answered as he picked up the plate of garlic bread.

Miyagi blanched at the visual. There were two pieces of bread, overstuffed with uncut garlic and swimming in butter. He smiled and shook his head in amusement, thoughts of his car and the smell in his apartment put aside for the time being. No way in hell were those pieces of bread edible. At least the kid tried.

He walked over to his lover and placed an arm around his shoulders. Then he pulled the boy in for a hug while removing the plate of offending material from the other's hands. "Shinobu, I think you need to use the Internet before cooking again. You don't put whole cloves in the bread; you sprinkle garlic powder onto the small bit of butter used." Miyagi was completely collected, but he wanted to laugh at how cute his little terrorist looked at the realization.

This embarrassed the twenty-one year old like no tomorrow and he blushed fiercely. After all that work he'd still managed to mess up the meal. He wanted to push away but Miyagi pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head. Whenever his lover did that he quickly forgot his demons.

"The rest of this looks wonderful, Shinobu-chin," Miyagi stated as he pulled the kid to the table. "Why don't we forget the bread and just eat this."

Shinobu nodded ever so slightly. "Whatever," he said quietly as he sat down in his chair. His eyes were trained on Miyagi as the elder scooped some pasta onto his plate, blew on the steaming pieces, and took a bite.

Miyagi was actually expecting the worst, but when the food tasted good he let his actual emotions shine through. "This is good, Shinobu, you must have practiced."

"Of course not, old man, I don't need to practice," Shinobu grumbled, secretly thrilled that Miyagi had complimented him. The two ate in communal silence, playing footsies under the table.

/GG/

Once the dishes had been cleaned, Miyagi went to take a shower. Shinobu sat himself on the sofa and started to read through his philosophy homework when a mobile rang. It was Miyagi's, but he picked it up anyway.

"Hello, is Miyagi Yoh-san there, please," the voice on the other end of the phone inquired.

"Who wants to know?" Shinobu demanded, a little jealous that men were calling his lover.

"We have an estimate for his car."

"What happened to it?" Shinobu asked.

"If this isn't Miyagi Yoh then I can't give out the information."

This man was getting on Shinobu's nerves. "I'm his personal assistant and I pay any bills, so tell me how much it is so we can get this over with."

"Okay, the total for parts and labor, plus the tow came to just over 9000 yen. That's for a new starter with all the necessary equipment used."

_Jesus fucking Christ! _ "I'll put it on my card," Shinobu spit. "Someone needs to teach your company some ethics though. I can buy a starter for under 2000 yen and the tow shouldn't cost more than 1000, which means you are charging 6000 for labor. Who did you have work on it? The President of the United States?"

When the man didn't immediately reply Shinobu sneered at the phone. Those were number he'd pulled out of his ass, but obviously he'd hit the nail on the head if a retort wasn't almost instantaneous.

"You still there or are you recalculating the cost of this so-called service?"

The man came back and answered this time. "I'll go ahead and knock 1000 yen off the total cost if you can pay the amount in full right now." Shinobu could tell the person on the other end of the phone wasn't happy about that, but also knew that he was overcharging in a big way.

"Fine, here's the information. I expect three receipts to be sent to these three addresses as well."

Shinobu and the man from the auto repair shop spoke for a while longer and the car was paid for. Nothing was too good for Miyagi and if he had to spend the next few months paying off his credit card he was more than happy to. After all, the old man was letting him live in the same apartment.

The boy glanced at the door behind which his lover was taking a shower. "I love you, Miyagi Yoh. Money is nothing where you're concerned."

_**Onodera Ritsu and Takano Masamune no Baai**_

He'd done it again. Onodera Ritsu, age 26, had let his loins get the better of him and allowed his boss to screw his brains out, more than once, instead of talking to the guy. That's what he really wanted. Yes, sex was good…very good. He loved the feel of Takano's arms wrapped around him and the man's organ dancing up his ass. But it was getting to the point where he really wanted nothing more than to talk to Takano-san and get to know him again.

Ritsu looked over at the sleeping body of his superior. Takano was breathing evenly, a smile making him look rather handsome in the morning rays. A smile found its way on Onodera's face as he reached over and brushed a piece of fuzz off the other man's cheek. His hand then stalled as he felt the fine hairs that dotted his perfect skin. Ritsu wouldn't admit this, even to himself, that he loved every bit of flesh on Takano's body.

While the man remained asleep, Ritsu started to talk as if Takano could actually respond. "One of these days, we're going to sit down and have a proper conversation…_with_ our clothes on," he murmured. "I want to know what happened after I left," he stated softly. "I want to tell you what happened to me when I left. Maybe if we talk, you won't have to feel so scared anymore."

The editor recalled Takano's words of worry. Never, even when they had been teens, could he have ever pictured his senpai as scared or sad. But even heroes like Saga-senpai…no, Takano-san had fears that ate away at their souls. The thought made Ritsu sad since he knew he was partially to blame for Takano's state of mind.

"I already told you, I looked for you when you disappeared."

Ritsu all but jumped out of the bed and fell onto the floor with a resounding thud. He was awake!

"T-Takano-san, let a person know you're awake!" he cried, trying to scamper up and out of the elder's reach. He didn't make it and soon he was spooned against the man.

"Why, you're more open when you think I'm asleep. It's similar to when you're drunk. I wish you were more forthcoming when you were sober and I was vigilant."

"That's…" Onodera couldn't come up with a good retort; Takano was right in those aspects. "How long have you been awake?"

"Longer than you," Takano deadpanned. "I went to your house one day, but no one was home. I had to ask your classmates where your house was and they all wanted to know who I was. Half a dozen girls and two guys asked me out. It was rather annoying."

Ritsu wanted to chuckle, but he could feel Takano's heat against the small of his back. He was worried if he moved the friction would arouse his superior and they'd end up making love again. _'Wait, did I just call it…making love…?'_ Onodera didn't know when it had switched from sex (something one does for the pleasure) to making love (something that one does with someone they love, for the pleasure). He gulped and felt himself sink deeper into the embrace.

"My family might have been overseas at that time," he spluttered. "Especially if it was around the time I left."

"I realize that now, but then I was rather lost. So I took an add out in the papers."

"R-r-really?" Whenever Takano proved his love it was all Ritsu could do to keep from either crying or burning to a crisp from embarrassment.

"Of course. I spent quite a long time looking for you before my mom decided to get divorced. I even have copies of the newspapers that I put the advertisement in from time to time in my closet. Not even Yokozawa could stop me from putting that little box in every few months. I don't think I stopped till I came to work for Marukawa."

The admission hit Ritsu in the chest like a ton of bricks. He felt his lungs constrict and immediately it had become almost impossible to breathe. While he'd been turning into a jaded individual, the one who claimed to love him had searched for him for years, even after he'd been sure the man would move on. What kind of person did that? It certainly wouldn't have been something he'd done had their roles been reversed…or would he?

Ritsu tried to remember what he'd been like before his heart had been broken. If he were still that wide-eyed youth he'd surely have gone looking for Saga-senpai, after all he'd applied to the same high school as his superior. At that time he'd been so hopelessly in love there was no doubt he'd have searched to the ends of the Earth.

"Thank you," he said quietly, taking in a deep, shaky breath.

"What for?" Takano asked, turning Ritsu over so they were facing one another. His arms remained wrapped around his lover.

"For searching for me. It means a lot to me that you did," he admitted.

"I loved you, so of course I would look for you." Takano laughed slightly as he ruffled Ritsu's hair.

"Loved?" the editor asked without giving it much thought.

"I have always loved you, Ritsu," Takano declared. "What I feel for you now has grown since then, but it was always love."

The elder leaned forward and pressed his lips to Ritsu's, rubbing his tongue on the younger's lower lip. Ritsu moaned into the kiss and allowed Takano entrance. Within moments their tongues were battling it out and not one fuck was given about the fact that they would probably be in making love shortly. He'd finally gotten to talk, ever so slightly, and that was a major step for them in the right direction.

And in one swift motion, mouths still caressing one another, he had his legs spread and he became one with the man he would only admit to himself that he loved. Each and every movement, every single thrust was another reminder that the person he was coupling with loved him, unconditionally. So it was more than alright for sex to turn into making love, as long as it was with Takano-san.

_**Yoshino Chiaki and Hatori Yoshiyuki no Baai – Bound**_

"Tori, what are you doing?" Yoshino Chiaki paced his front room, fingering his mobile. "You didn't sleep over last night and you're not sending me a text message." Of course he was alone and puttering about his apartment like an animal left to his own devices. What did he end up doing? Passing out on the sofa, waking up, and realizing that one Hatori Yoshiyuki hadn't dropped by.

Normally when Chiaki fell asleep on his sofa, his lover ended up coming by at some point and carrying him to the bedroom. Since that didn't happen he felt a little out of sorts. His head was ablaze with all sorts of reasons as to why Hatori hadn't shown up.

"Why won't you ring, or buzz, or do something?" he hissed at his cell phone like the inanimate object could actually answer back. In truth, he was a little scared. Hatori was supposed to have come to his apartment over ten hours prior, it being nine in the morning at that time. Yet there was no manga editor in sight and that left Yoshino worried.

He opened a new text message box and started typing. _"Tori, where are you?"_ Once the message was created he pressed send and then stared at the phone, blue eyes wavering slightly. The mangaka should have gone to Hatori's apartment instead and slept there. At least he would have had the man's scent to lull him into a comfortable sleep, not to mention a bed.

Not really in control of his thoughts, Yoshino walked to his door and opened it as if expecting the man to be standing there at that exact moment. That wasn't to be the case; however something fell into the apartment with a thud, causing Chiaki to jump back slightly and look down.

"Tori!" he shouted, kneeling down as fast as his joints would allow. He put his hand to Hatori's forehead to feel for a reason as to why his boyfriend had passed out on his doorstep. That was when he noticed the scratches marring the man's handsome features. "Tori?" A tear started to drip down Chiaki's face as he instinctively felt for breath. Slightly cold air came from the other's mouth, which helped to alleviate a smidgen of Chiaki's worry.

Nowhere close to collected, Chiaki started to check the prone form on his floor. There was a cut under Hatori's left eye. His right cheek looked as if someone had scratched it. There was a smattering of blood on his white shirt and he could see a footprint on the man's blue blazer.

Yoshino didn't care about not crying anymore, they naturally came out in full force as he pulled Hatori into the foyer and shut the door. He couldn't even think of the numbers 1-1-9 to call the police and instead pressed the number 2 on his speed dial. When Yuu didn't answer the phone he remembered that his other best friend had left the country the prior day.

"Tori, please wake up!" sobbed as he pressed speed dial 3 for Takano-san.

"Chiaki?"

This soft question caused Yoshino to drop his phone, causing the battery to fall out the back. He leaned over and looked at his lover, a look of relief spreading across his face when he saw the man looking at him.

"Tori, what happened? I need to call the hospital? Where do you hurt? Why didn't you call me?"

"Too many questions," Hatori mumbled as he closed his eyes again against the light in the entryway.

"But Tori, you're hurt. What happened?"

"Water." The man was highly embarrassed at appearing so weak. Though it wasn't his fault, he never wanted to worry Yoshino in this way.

Chiaki jumped up and ran to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator. His heart was beating so hard he was sure he'd have a panic attack. There wasn't time for that when Hatori was dying on his front stoop.

Once he was by the other's side and he was feeding the man water using the cap, he recalled the number for the ambulance. He looked for his phone and saw it in disarray on the floor next to his shoes.

"Tori, let me call an ambulance," he said, reaching for his phone. Hatori stopped him. "You need to see a doctor, Tori," Chiaki insisted.

"No, I just need to take a shower and rest." He was speaking that much clearer than he had a few moments prior.

"What happened?" Yoshino all but demanded.

"Someone was getting mugged in front of your building; I stepped in and ended up taking the brunt of the attack." The answer was so deadpan it made Chiaki's blood run cold. "I look worse than it is, I promise. I just need to get out of these clothes and into the shower."

Hatori rolled to the side and pushed himself into a kneeling position and then stood up. He silently chastised himself for not removing his shoes before standing on the wooden floor. Once removed he started toward the bathroom.

Yoshino didn't quite know what to make of what was happening in his own abode. The last time he'd been this scared was when he'd seen Hatori disappear behind the elevator doors. Now he saw the man from behind again, slightly staggering, toward his bathroom after he'd gotten severely beaten. That wasn't allowed. No way in fucking hell was he going to permit Hatori to clean himself off when he should have been on his way to the hospital.

He stood up and followed slightly behind his lover, hands in the ready in case his stubborn boyfriend fell in any way. The bathroom wasn't that far and soon both men were inside. That was when Chiaki completely took over.

"Sit down and don't move," he commanded as he pushed the taller man onto the toilet.

"Yoshino?"

The mangaka glared. "Like hell I'm going to let you clean yourself. I'm going to take care of it or I'll call the hospital and have them send an ambulance. Take your pick."

Internally Hatori started to chuckle. When Chiaki put his mind to something he was really cool.

The mangaka started to remove all articles of clothing from both himself and Hatori. "Why didn't you call?"

"My phone was busted," Hatori answered as his shirt was removed and Chiaki got a good look at the bruise on his side. It was obvious someone kicked him. "When I got to your apartment I must have passed out before I was able to ring the doorbell for help."

Yoshino couldn't think straight as he took in the bruising on Hatori's body, so he kept quiet as he finished stripping the both of them and went to turn on the water for the bathtub. He was grateful he used the tub in this bathroom more like a western style bath, thus emptying all of the water after every soak.

Once the water was filling the tub he walked over and helped Hatori stand and navigate his way into the tub. The editor sat down and Chiaki started to rub him down with a loofah. Each time he felt the sponge make contact with Hatori's skin he felt his heart break with worry that he was unintentionally hurting him.

"I'm scared," he stated, softly.

Hatori looked at Chiaki and could see the worry in the man's eyes. The sight of his lover looking so helpless broke his heart. "Yoshino, look at me," he implored. Chiaki looked up. "I know it looks scary, but I promise you that I am fine. If I feel any pain later on today, we'll go to the hospital. I don't feel any discomfort now, so I am sure everything is superficial."

Chiaki nodded and put the sponge in Tori's hand. He then climbed into the bathtub behind the larger man and slid down so he was what Hatori's back was rested against. Yoshino then lowered his forehead to Hatori's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his lover's chest. Hatori, for his part, was in mild shock and his eyes were wide with bewilderment. Never, in the course of their time together, had they taken a bath like this. Normally a bath wasn't what they took together anyway, unless it was at an onsen. Yet here was the object of his affection, wrapped around him like a security blanket. To him, it was the most beautiful feeling in the world.

"I love you, Chiaki," he breathed, placing his hand atop the other's in a sign of affection.

"I love you too, Tori," Yoshino returned. "Just don't get hurt again because I felt like I was going to die."

The last part was said under his breath so even Hatori couldn't hear the words properly. Hatori let his body lean back so he was cradled in Yoshino's warm embrace. He wanted this moment to last forever.

_**Yanase Yuu no Baai**_

Why any idiot would choose to leave during rush hour, on a Saturday, was completely beyond the russet-eyed man as he stepped out of the cab at Narita Airport. Tickets had already been paid for and the dingbat had been gushing about visiting Prince Edward Island during the spring for months. Now was that time, and Yanase Yuu was just about ready for the trip to be over.

Of course he was just kidding himself. The idea of leaving Japan for a couple of weeks and going international was something he'd wanted to do for quite some time. He'd be the first to admit it that he was just as excited, if not more so, than the one who had purchased the tickets.

It surprised Yuu when he stepped up to the counter to be handed a first-class ticket. "What in the fuck is he thinking?" he grumbled as he thanked the ticket agent and trudged to customs. "Coach would have cut the price by two thirds and would have been completely adequate." Of course the nice part about first class was getting to go through the lines faster, so it didn't take long for the man to be inside of the international terminal.

Yanase maneuvered around people on the walkway and eventually made it to the gate where he saw the idiot, standing next to the counter with a huge grin on his face. It made his heart skip a little, but he'd never admit to it.

"Was first class really necessary? I thought you were saving your money," Yanase asked as he joined the queue.

"I was, for this trip. But don't worry; you paid for your own ticket."

This bit of information made Yuu grumble a little bit, but in the end he'd have thrown a fit if his ticket had been paid for by someone else. No one was allowed to pay his way for him. He looked at his companion's seat and wrinkled his nose. "You're switching me seats when we get on the plane. I want the window."

"And what if I refuse?" The tone was sly.

"Then I'll go switch my seat with coach class and you can sit on your pompous ass in first class by yourself." Never let it be said that both men weren't equally stubborn.

"You wound me, Yuu-chan," his companion muttered playfully. "But since I've been there before, I'll give you with window seat on one condition."

Yuu didn't know how to respond to that. What on Earth could such a condition be? Then his eyes widened. "If you think we're going to join the mile-high club, you've got another think coming!" he snarled under his breath.

The laugh that followed made more than one head turn in their direction. "Rather a déclassé prank, if you ask me. No, my condition is that we enjoy this Black Day like we were single."

Well if that wasn't the corniest line he'd ever heard in his life, nothing was. "God, I swear. Sometimes I wonder what I see in you," the artist said with a shake of the head.

"That goes both ways, punk."

Yanase rolled his eyes and handed the ticket agent his ticket and passport. It was going to be a good trip.

_**Egoist**_

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, right Nowaki!"

This was an absolutely normal response and Kusama Nowaki wasn't all that surprised when Kamijou Hiroki bit his head off. It was, after all, a rather strange request that someone such as the professor might not have been able to comprehend.

"No, Hiro-san, I'm not kidding. I want to celebrate Black Day with you, so I took off work tonight just so we could do something together," Nowaki answered, brightly.

"This day isn't even a real holiday, idiot," Hiroki snapped while removing his shoes and glaring at the get-up Nowaki saw fit to wear. What man in his mid-20's, a doctor no less, would be wearing a neon pink and yellow jersey? "This pseudo-holiday was invented as another way to help those lecherous businesses make more money off the working public. In other words, it means zilch."

Nowaki didn't let Hiro-san's mood falter his desires. "I know it's not really a traditional holiday, but it would still be fun to do something together, Hiro-san. We don't get to have a day to just ourselves very often."

Kamijou grumbled under his breath; that was a true statement, even if he didn't want to admit it out loud. "This ridiculous day was invented for single people, are you telling me you want to go back to that way of life?" He knew that Nowaki wouldn't leave, ever, but he still found himself spitting that bit of spew out without thinking.

"Of course not, Hiro-san," Nowaki answered calmly; he was used to his lover's mood-swings. "I just thought we could go against the grain and celebrate _not_ being single." He smiled at the smaller man and wrapped him in a giant bear hug. "Besides, tonight I thought we could mix it up a little."

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Hiroki asked, not trying too hard to break free from his tree of a boyfriend's arms.

"Hiro-san," Nowaki whispered in his ear, huskily, "I'm cold."

Less than a second after the raven-haired man finished that classic line Hiroki's eyes bugged out and he could feel his heartbeat speed up. He did push himself back from his boyfriend and stared at his beaming face. '_What in the fuck?_' Unfortunately he didn't get much of a chance to think because the palpitations of his heart increased and he could feel himself get a little dizzy. Moments later everything went black.

/GG/

"What are you doing here?" Tsumori asked Nowaki, who was in the process of filling out a bunch of paperwork.

The young doctor looked at his senpai, eyes brimming with tears and he shook his head in utter dejection. "I think I caused Hiro-san to have a panic attack."

Tsumori kept his doctor persona on and didn't laugh at the thought of the devil his kohai was involved with actually freaking out that much. "What happened? You want to try some new sort of acrobatics during your 'special bonding' time?"

Nowaki narrowed his eyes and gave Tsumori a withering stare. "This is neither the time nor place, senpai. I'm too worried to deal with your personal brand of humor right now."

The doctor patted Nowaki on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure Kamijou is perfectly fine, Nowaki. You did the right thing in bringing him here, so that's a start."

"I want to go in and see him, but they told me I'm too close to the patient and that might keep them from being able to figure out what's going on with him."

The loss in his voice almost made Tsumori feel bad for Nowaki; not that he wasn't already feeling a little bit for his kohai's present state. "I'll go and check on him myself. Give me five minutes, okay."

Nowaki smiled and went back to filling out the forms to hand back to the nurse behind the counter.

Tsumori turned around and walked into the emergency room. There were quite a few people occupying beds, but he was easily able to find Nowaki's stubborn partner. He was the one giving off an icy vibe at anything with a pulse.

"Well, well, well, look what the storm dropped on our front porch," he said with a smarmy grin.

"Very funny, Tsumori. When can I get the hell out of here?" Hiroki barked, causing a few people in the area to scatter.

"Relax, professor. I promised a tall, dashing young doctor that I'd check on you since the attending isn't letting him come in here right now." Tsumori took hold of Hiro's chart and started to read over the verdict. "Looks like you had a panic attack. I'd suggest limiting your sexual desires down to one a day, maybe every other day."

"Fuck you," the patient snarled. "Send in Nowaki. The doctors can shove it up their collective asses if they think he can't be in here."

The blond put the chart down and leaned over the bed railing. "I'm glad to see that this little episode hasn't hurt your tongue any. I think you're fine and you could probably go home soon, unless you have a desire to stay and sleep on the rough bed sheets we keep on hand."

Hiro rolled his eyes and waved the man off. He wasn't in the mood for any of Tsumori's antics. He just wanted to see Nowaki. It actually hurt that his towering lover wasn't allowed in the room with him. Luckily he didn't really have to wait all that long before he could see a pair of blue eyes at the door to the room. Said eyes locked with his own and he did his best to hold back the grin that was threatening to give his true emotions away.

Nowaki made his way through the maze of people and went to sit next to Hiro-san. He grabbed hold of the older man's hand and brought it to his mouth where he kissed each knuckle before looking up and smiling with relief.

"Thank whoever that you are okay, Hiro-san. When you passed out I'd thought you'd had a heart attack. I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life."

Kamijou shook his head, but didn't try to remove his hand from Nowaki's. "I'm fine, brat. I just wasn't expecting you to use such a line on me. The last time we…" Finishing that sentence wasn't going to happen since Hiroki turned bright red and averted his eyes. Yes, they'd switched it up a couple of times, but Nowaki had never once used his catch-phrase on him before.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san. I didn't know it would have such an effect on you. I love it when you say it to me, so I thought you'd love it if you heard it in return once in a while."

The professor blushed further and squeezed Nowaki's hand. That was the only response his lover was going to receive. Nowaki was smart, so he was able to figure out what Hiroki was saying, with just the slight movement of his hand.

_**Yukina Kou and Kisa Shouta no Baai – No Words Needed**_

Today was definitely the day! Normally he didn't worry too much about trying to one-up Yukina, but for some reason he felt it important to make sure _he_ was the one doing something for his lover, even if the day was meant for singles. He didn't really care, they could celebrate not being single on that day. After all, it wasn't really a Japanese holiday anyway. Only those who were addicted with South Korea really celebrated Black Day. (Which meant that a lot of people took that holiday to their country _after_ leaving South Korea. Oh how things made their way around the world.)

Of course very few people in Japan actually thought much about the holiday, same as most people outside of Asia didn't really pay much attention to White Day. Kisa Shouta was interested in showing his boyfriend that he was every bit as devoted to the relationship, even if he didn't show it in public. So he'd decided on taking the day off so he could cart the tall college student to places he knew Yukina would enjoy visiting.

Or at least that had been the plan. When Kisa opened his eyes he noticed he was missing a giant of a boyfriend on the futon. Not only that, but there was a note on the pillow. Kisa grabbed the note, sat up fast, and started to read.

_**Kisa-san! Sorry I didn't wake you before leaving, but a friend of mine needed some assistance with moving to his new apartment. I know you have to work tonight, so I didn't want to disturb your sleep. I'll see you when you get off work later and we can eat bibimbap* like you mentioned a few weeks back. Love you! Yukina**_

That little brat had all but cock-blocked him before he'd had a chance to proceed. And it wasn't bibimbap, it was jjajjangmyeon*. Of course cock-block may not have been the best analogy, but that's how it felt. Kisa had planned this elaborate surprise and now it wasn't even going to happen. There was nothing to do but tell the truth. So he grabbed his mobile.

_Yukina, I actually took the day off to spend with you. I know it's not much and it's not a real holiday, but that was supposed to be a surprise. _

Kisa sent that message off and immediately felt like a pathetic fool. What type of pitiful person sends something so pathetic to his much younger lover?

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

The incoming message actually startled Kisa from his introspection. He looked at the phone and read.

_Really!? Kisa-san is so wonderful. I'm almost done, so I'll be home soon!_

A smile snaked its way across Kisa's face as he read the message. Admitting his secret may have been a bit demoralizing, but the fact that it wasn't going to be a total waste was a plus. He was sure when that ball of sparkles came back his entire world would explode in ways he couldn't imagine.

/GG/

Yukina sat on the subway, grinning like the Cheshire Cat and daydreaming the time away. Kisa-san, his Kisa-san had actually planned something special. That was such a rare occurrence he began to wonder if the older man wasn't sick. Of course he'd spent the better part of two weeks at Kisa's apartment, so he'd have known if his lover had come down with something. To say that Yukina was giddy would have been an understatement. He was flying higher than a kite at that very moment.

"He's so hot, he must be a model."

Yukina vaguely heard the comment since he was looking out the window and not paying attention to anyone in the car.

"I wonder if he has a girlfriend."

This time Yukina looked at the two who were talking and saw that they were indeed talking about him. He smiled politely, but didn't respond in any other way. At that moment he didn't know if he'd be able to sound comprehensible; he was in Kisaville after all.

"Ask him, maybe we can hook up or something."

"Excuse me." Yukina looked at the one who was addressing him. She was wearing an outfit that was a little too tight for his taste. "Can I get your e-mail?"

Yukina shook himself from his daze and answered, "I'm sorry, but I already have someone."

"We can just be friends," the second girl rebutted before Yukina even had a chance to breathe.

Now, Yukina wasn't someone to turn down friends, but he did know the type to pressure people and these two were most certainly it. He didn't want to give them the runaround since it was doubtful they'd even have an opportunity to meet after this train ride.

"I'm flattered, but I don't think it's something I'm comfortable with," he said, sternly.

One of the women stood up and slid over to his side of the train. She got in his face and smiled. "Even if you have someone, that doesn't mean it'll last forever. One such as yourself could always use a back-up," she purred, making Yukina feel incredibly uncomfortable.

That was the last straw. They were getting a little too close and it was drawing attention from others in the area. Kisa popped into his mind when the girl tried to put a hand on his knee. There was only one thing Yukina could think to do. He took out his phone and showed them a picture of Kisa.

"This is my prince," he said, happily. "We should all get together sometime and you can meet him."

Both girls' eyes went wide and they stood up and left without a second thought. Yukina smiled. It was a dirty trick, but at times his physique attracted some unwanted elements. Using Kisa-san would freak the man out, if he knew what Yukina'd just done, but sometimes it was necessary.

"That was pretty smooth," a voice beside him snickered. Yukina looked to his left and saw a man with dark hair and hazel eyes. "I've used Senpai like that a couple of times and if he knew I'd be dead."

Yukina shook his head in amusement. "Kisa-san wouldn't kill me, but he'd kick me out of the apartment for a while."

"I don't recommend doing it often, but at times drastic measures need to be taken. Some people can't take a hint, and while I don't go around parading my sexuality, I do know that some people just don't want to believe me."

Yukina wasn't quite sure if he was 'gay' or not, but he could empathize for a moment with this man.

/GG/

Kisa sat in his apartment with the tickets to the art show on the table in front of him. If Yukina got back shortly they could make it before the closing. If not, there was still dinner at the restaurant down the way. Yukina was taking a little longer than he'd expected, but he wasn't worried. Eventually the man would show up and they could do something.

The sound of his door opening was like music to his ears and he blushed fiercely at the thought. Yukina could make his body respond in all sorts of strange ways.

"Kisa-san, sorry I'm late. I started talking to someone on the train and missed the stop," Yukina admitted, embarrassed.

The editor took one look at his lover and almost burst into laughter. Yukina would make a new friend on the subway and lose track of time, even when he was in a hurry. He'd never change that about Yukina either, it was part of the man's princely charm.

"It's okay, we can still make dinner at Full House*."

Yukina lowered his eyes. "I had to use you today, to scare off some unwanted elements." He couldn't believe he openly admitted that. Kisa was befuddled. He had no idea what Yukina was getting at. Yukina could tell Kisa was confused, so he continued speaking. "I was so excited about today that I let myself daydream most of the ride and ended up attracting attention from a couple of women."

"That's nothing new, you're always attracting someone," Kisa commented, not really surprised.

"This time they were a little too forward," he said, looking Kisa in the eye. "So I took out my phone and showed them a picture of you. I had to tell them you were my boyfriend."

Kisa didn't know whether to be flattered or mortified. In truth he was both mixed into one strange ball of emotions. The editor wanted Yukina to rely on him, no matter what, but the fact that it had come to that came as a shock. And the look of depression on Yukina's face made him immediately feel for the man standing in front of him. It had obviously taken quite a bit to muster up something like that. Yukina'd taken quite a hit to his pride.

"I'm glad you were able to break free unscathed," he commented after thinking about the situation. "I'd have been too thick to figure out something like that."

Kou's eyes went wide and he felt his face flush, slightly. "You're not mad, Kisa-san?"

"No, I have no right to be. I'm honored you showed someone my picture and said we were together." That admission was just as hard on Kisa as Yukina's aforementioned confession.

Without another word Yukina closed the gap between the two and pressed his lips to Kisa's in a heated kiss. Obviously Kisa was a little flustered about the situation, but he was putting Yukina's feelings first and whenever Kisa did that, the art student felt like the most special person in the world. There were times when not even he could figure out how his Shouta-san accomplished such a feat.

_**Romantica**_

Usami was not expecting to see Misaki asleep on the sofa when he exited his room and waltzed down the stairs for a new cup of coffee. His lover should have been at school, not dozing on the sofa. Softly he padded to the couch and sat down on his haunches next to the sleeping boy's face. He placed a hand atop Misaki's head and ruffled his brown locks.

"Misaki, wake up," he said softly.

"Ummmmnnn." Misaki just moaned and rolled into the touch a little bit.

Usami smiled and leaned in, placing a chaste kiss on his sleeping beauty's cheek. "Misaki, why are you here and not at school?"

Misaki could hear Akihiko talking to him. After the ride from Haruhiko, in which he insisted on leaving the man's jacket, he walked the rest of the way home. Once inside the condo he'd taken some fever reducer and let himself pass out on the sofa. Now he was in a state between asleep and awake. He didn't really want to wake up, but with his boyfriend's pressing he knew he didn't have much longer before he would be able to answer in a coherent sentence.

He let himself creep out of hibernation slowly and then let his eyes flutter. The sun hurt, but he kept on moving them enough to allow for his pupils to constrict so he could make out Usagi sitting in front of him.

"Usagi-san, aren't you working?" he yawned, closing his eyes again and then opening them part way.

"I could ask you the same thing, why are you here?"

"I didn't feel well after this morning," Misaki stated without thinking.

Akihiko let himself fall to his rump, eyes open wide. Misaki had come, and hard…so he didn't like their love making?

Not wasting any time Usami stood up and picked up his lover in his arms.

"Us-Usagi-san? What…" Misaki squealed as he tried to get down. Usami wasn't having any of it and Misaki was hauled up the stairs and into the bathroom. Within moments of his feet hitting the floor his shirt was off followed by the remainder of the clothes that had been previously covering his body. "Um…Usagi-san?" Misaki didn't have a clue what was going on.

"Hold still, Misaki," Usami stated firmly. He knelt behind Misaki and took the youth's cheeks in his hands and slowly spread them. For the first time in years he could feel a tear in his eyes. The boy's hole was raw, proving that the toy he'd bought was a little too much for him. "I'm sorry, Misaki," he breathed as he rested his head on the small of Misaki's back and wrapped his arms around the boy's front, hugging him close.

Misaki didn't know how to move, for the second time that day. This side of Usagi was actually quite scary and he hadn't seen it since that time they were in the Ferris Wheel all those years ago. Then, as if by chance, Misaki recalled what he'd said on the sofa and realized how it sounded. Initially his thought had been that he had a fever, not that their sexual activity had hurt. But that was how Usami had taken it because Misaki hadn't been clear in what he was saying.

"Usagi-san," Misaki said softly. "I'm sorry, but I didn't mean what you thought."

"What are you talking about, Misaki. I can see what I did to you."

"This morning I had a slight fever. It had nothing to do with _that_," he stammered, turning bright red as he recalled what they had done that morning.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are hurt…here," Usami said, using his finger to lightly ghost over Misaki's hole. Misaki hissed at the touch, proving that it did smart. Akihiko had never in his life wanted to hurt Misaki, but the physical evidence was just too harsh.

And it was all his fault.

He stood up and started to strip from his clothes. "Usagi-san?" Misaki asked; eyes wide with confusion.

Akihiko placed a finger on Misaki's lips. "It's okay, Misaki. I'm not going to take you now. Trust me."

Misaki watched as Usami de-clothed and grabbed a clean washcloth from the cupboard. Usami doused the cloth in cold water and then walked over to where Misaki stood, completely naked for all eyes to see. The green-eyed college student didn't want to repeat the same word he'd been saying over and over again, so he just remained quiet as Usami knelt down and spread his cheeks again. When the cloth touched his opening he could feel the chill, but it felt nice on his sore skin. He almost wanted to cry over the fact that The Great Lord Usami Akihiko had crouched down and was cleaning him like a servant does a master. Sure, it was a part of the anatomy that most servants wouldn't touch, but he was still doing that.

Usami used all the tenderness he had to make sure Misaki's anus was cleaned. He kissed the area and then pulled Misaki over to the shower head. Soon the water was running down their backs and he was washing the boy's hair, followed by his body. Akihiko used the utmost care to make sure Misaki was treated like an eggshell; one false move and he would break.

Once the two were cleaned off, he picked up his lover and carried him to the bathtub. Misaki was placed into the water, delicately, before Usami himself stepped in. Then he sat down and pulled Misaki onto his lap where he wrapped the boy's body into a hug.

The boy didn't know how to respond to what had just occurred. Normally he'd have complained about such displays of affection, but for some reason he just let Usami do what he would. In no way could he see a reason to stop the older man from caring for him in such a way. Misaki thought back to their time together and realized that Usagi had always taken care of him with love and tenderness. Sure, they had times when they'd had passionate sex that mightn't be considered tender, but all in all, it was the same Usagi-san giving him pleasure in multiple ways.

Misaki didn't want to break the spell. Lying in his lover's arms after such an intimate moment was all he really wanted to do. He could go back to his tsundere self later, but in that moment the only thing he wanted to do was feel Usami's heart beating against his back. For each time that heart beat he knew it was beating out his own name, just as when his own heart beat it was beating out Usagi's.

_**Kanade Mino no Baai**_

It was awfully quiet at work. For a group of men he knew had partners, Mino still couldn't fathom why none of them had shown up at work on time. The next week was going to be Hell Week, so no one should have been taking the day off, but they all were. He smiled as he busied himself with papers that needed correcting and files that needed sending. Black Day wasn't something he readily celebrated, after all he was married. Who needed to celebrate such a holiday when one had a wife and kids?

Internally he laughed since he knew that each of his teammates had someone and would probably deny having that someone. At least Kisa and Onodera would; Takano and Hatori probably wouldn't say much of anything. Mino wondered if Onodera was even privy to the fact that Hatori was in a relationship with his star mangaka or that Kisa was in a relationship with that gorgeous bookstore clerk. That poor kid had enough problems, so he doubted Onodera knew anything aside from the fact that Takano was on him like white on rice in the middle of a snowstorm.

Kisa, on the other hand, knew everything. The man, was in fact, the reason he knew what he did. Kisa was a horrible drunk and just spouted out all sorts of fun details when he was juiced. Mino was glad the man had met his lover since his self-esteem seemed to be climbing inch by inch. Obviously the clerk was good for Kisa.

Now Takano was another story. He was sure to know that Hatori was cavorting with the mangaka, but he wasn't too sure if their supervisor was aware that Kisa had found a mate. Normally very observant, ever since Onodera had joined their team he'd been slightly less observant than before. Mino wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. But, Takano seemed much happier and personable since the younger man had come into their lives, so for the moment it was all good.

As for Hatori, that was a completely different type of persona. Hatori, if he knew, didn't care one iota. He had a one-tracked mind, always had. Yes, he was overly capable and had he actually started looking in other directions he could easily have knocked Takano off the head of the department chair and taken over. Instead the man had focused 90% of his energy on the one person he was enamored with and saved about 10% for anyone else. Mino felt that the man was missing out on so much potential, but didn't want to make waves when it wasn't his business, so he just let it go as was.

Mino enjoyed working with the other members of Emerald. They all brought a certain character to the mix and each person's personality meshed well. They ran like a well oiled machine.

_Buzz, buzz, buzz._

Mino stopped working for a moment to look at his mobile. A new text message had come in and he smiled when he saw that his wife had sent him a picture. All three of their kids had donned black clothes and were holding a set of signs that said, "Happy Black Day Daddy". Underneath the message was something written by Yurie, "Sorry you have to be alone today, but it does fit the holiday." His wife could certainly be a smart ass.

The man laughed slightly and responded before putting the phone away. Yurie did have a point though, he was alone on the holiday that celebrated being single. It was rather poetic, in a way.

_**Ijuuin and Misaki**_

After the magic of earlier had been broken by one unrestrained rabbit's erection poking against his back, Misaki had ran from the condo and to work before his ass took another pounding. He wasn't ready for that, but he could easily handle being at Marukawa for a few hours. He'd been charged with making sure Ueda Kisho's newest outlines were delivered to the correct parties. Normally he didn't bother with reading books, but after running into Aikawa and hearing about how a manga artist had drawn the pictures for the author's prior book, Misaki made a mental note to check out the last book.

He marveled at how many authors of such fine quality existed at Marukawa. Even those that wouldn't be considered 'real' authors (since they worked on manga) were all top-notch at their job. Isaka must have been one lucky individual to have run across such talent.

One such talent, Ijuuin-sensei, had decided to surprise Misaki while he was in the process of handing one set of documents to the sale's department.

"Hello, Misaki," the older man crooned, wrapping an arm around the boy and earning a glare from one Yokozawa Takafumi in the process.

"Ijuuin, don't you have something better to do with your time than interrupt this kid, who is actually trying to do his job?" Yokozawa snapped as he took hold of the papers Misaki had almost dropped when he'd been cornered.

"Relax, Yokozawa-san," the mangaka said with a grin. "Misaki here is an old friend of mine."

Misaki tried to break free and actually looked at Yokozawa with pleading eyes. The sale's manager rolled his eyes and stood up, effectively breaking the two apart by intentionally walking through them on his way to the door. Misaki was grateful for that movement since he was able to leap behind a desk, slightly.

"Relax, Misaki," Ijuuin chirped with a grin. "I'm just here to invite you to have drinks with me in celebration of Black Day."

This didn't bode well with the college student, so he shook his head slightly, taking another step back. Ijuuin took a step forward, trying to block the boy off, which only pissed Misaki off. This had to stop!

"I-I-I'm sorry, but you need to not do those inappropriate things to me. You're single, so you should celebrate alone," Misaki stammered as he turned and hightailed it out of the area. He didn't want a repeat of the man kissing him again. Even just a peck like that didn't feel right. No matter how much he admired Ijuuin as an author, his respect in Ijuuin as a man was deteriorating rather quickly.

The author watched as Misaki ran out of the room and gave a small smile. _'I won't give up on you, Misaki, you deserve better.' _

**/GG/**

**Author's Note**

Shidou Academyis the name of the school in the Takumi-kun Series.

Kozue is a restaurant on the 40th floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel in Tokyo. Dinners on the lower end of the price range are at about 174 USD or about 16,000 yen. Needless to say, a poor uni student like me couldn't afford to eat there, but I was able to gaze up at the restaurant when I was in the area.

Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish with spicy sauce. Jjajjangmyeon (yes, that is a double set of Js) is a noodle dish with bean paste sauce. My Japanese friends have admitted to liking both dishes, but find the Bibimbap really spicy.

Take a guess as to who Yukina is talking to on the train. He's not from SIH or JR, but another BL series. Hint, the character was a minor character in one series and a main in the sequel. The sequel has two OVAs.

Full House is another real restaurant in Tokyo. It's on the Shinjuku line.

**And there you have it. Another chapter in the holiday series I've been working on. Hope you liked it even if I was rather nasty to a few characters. Poor Misaki doesn't seem to catch a break in my writing. I may need to write something sweet for him later on, maybe some Poetica. Don't know yet, I'm too busy with Loveless and Takumi-kun (among the papers I need to write for uni, which should take precedence, but doesn't seem to be happening at this junction). **


	4. More Points in Time

It has been so long since a holiday I could write about came up. Hopefully you readers enjoy. This chapter is so long it should be split into two, so maybe the next chapter will be even longer.

/GG/

More Points in Time

**Egoist**

Kamijou Hiroki never wanted to wake up and see, what he thought was a mirage. However, that didn't really happen since the sight of Nowaki wearing a half open yukata and showing off a fundoshi proudly was definitely a reality, not a fantasy. For a brief moment he marveled at how incredible the tall doctor looked wearing the traditional Japanese garb and it just about caused him to heat up in some rather inappropriate areas.

Nowaki beamed when he saw Hiroki wake from slumber. "Hiro-san," he sing-songed, jumping off the bed like an excited dog ready to go on a walk. "I have dressed for you today!"

Hiroki grumbled and shoved his head under a pillow. That was to serve two purposes: Show his annoyance and hide the fact that his body was starting to collect an unnecessarily large amount of blood in two places.

The raven-haired doctor didn't accept that and started to pull the pillow out of the way of his view. "Come on, Hiro-san," Nowaki pressed. "It's Tanabata and that means we need to dress up and go write our wishes on the pre-prepared tanzaku."

"Nowaki," Hiro stated calmly. "We've been together for ten years, and aside from that year in which you swanned off without so much as a by your leave," he continued, feeling Nowaki tense up at the mention of that missing year, "when have we ever celebrated Tanabata?"

Of course there was a good reason for Nowaki to want to spend this holiday with Hiro-san. It was their tenth together and they had yet to write their wishes. He wanted nothing more than to grab that little piece of paper and write that he was happy with his life and wanted it to continue on, even after death. He wanted Hiro-san to be by his side for eternity.

Logic wasn't going to work though, so he did the next best thing. Nowaki leaned in and let his tongue dance over Hiroki's unclothed nipples, causing the other man to moan, then shoot up and slam against the wall.

"What the hell Nowaki!" Hiroki stormed, face flushing up at the feel of getting turned on so early in the morning.

"If you won't do the wishes with me, then I guess that means you want to spend all day in bed, like last year," Nowaki purred, crawling closer to his Hiro-san and licking his lips enticingly.

"The fuck I do, get a hold of yourself!" Kamijou snarled, using his hand to keep Nowaki at a safe distance.

"I don't believe you, Hiro-san," the young doctor said slyly. "This part," he said, reaching out and taking hold of Hiroki's already semi-erect cock, "is already weeping for attention," he finished, rubbing a thumb over the tip and feeling the wetness.

The professor almost moaned in wanton desire, but managed to keep himself in check. "You fucking bastard…" he tried to get out but ended up not being able to speak as he felt his lover's mouth envelop him, at which point he could do nothing but let his primitive desires take over.

/GG/

Completely content, not that he'd ever admit it, Kamijou allowed Nowaki to spoon him after their round of love making. He wanted to turn around and beat the living tar out of the brat, but he loved him so much that it didn't have the heart to ruin the mood. Of course if he did do that then they'd probably end up going another round, which wouldn't have been a bad thing, but it would have ended up pissing him off if he had to go to classes the next day with a smarting ass.

"Why is it so important for you to dress up and go out today, Nowaki," Hiro asked, curious as to why after so many years the man wanted to participate in yet another holiday.

Nowaki took in a deep breath and wound his legs around Hiroki's to pull him that much closer. The feel of the elder in his arms was always the perfect feeling and he relished every time they were together.

"I want to thank the deities for our ten years and ask for another eternity with you, Hiro-san," Nowaki answered simply.

Hiroki could feel his heartbeat start to quicken as he became enveloped in another warmth. The idea of spending an eternity with Nowaki was actually quite appealing. He'd never really thought about what would happen when they died. Would they get separated after being reincarnated? Would one go to heaven and the other go to hell? The professor didn't know and he found that he didn't really like thinking about it all that much. He was perfectly happy living in the moment and not thinking about what the future would bring.

"Why don't you want to go out and write your wish, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked when Hiroki didn't speak up after his admission.

A long breath and a heavy sigh followed the question and Hiroki turned slightly to bury his head in a pillow. "I don't need to write any wishes because I've already got what I want," he said into the pillow, so it came out rather muffled.

Nowaki almost felt his heart stall at that admission, but he was in a rather frisky mood, so he feigned not being able to hear. "Sorry, Hiro-san, I didn't catch that," he mumbled innocently. "Could you repeat that so I can hear you?" He used his hand to trace lines up and down the other man's side and loved feeling the goose flesh erupt at his fingertips.

"You idiot, go get your hearing checked out!" Hiroki barked into the pillow, so that too was muffled and didn't come out quite clear.

The doctor suppressed a giggle and leaned his head in so it was on Hiro's shoulder and his lips were near the professor's ear. He stuck his tongue out and licked the pinna, causing the man beneath him to shake in both embarrassment and fury. Within a few moments Nowaki was on his pack, pinned to the bed, with Kamijou Hiroki straddling him and glaring daggers into his eyes.

"You big oaf, are you trying to get yourself kneed in the groin?" Hiroki asked, anger seething. Then his eyes went soft as he looked at his lover sprawled on the bed beneath him. It wasn't very often that he was in such a position, seeing as how Nowaki was so much bigger than he. And he had to admit, seeing the man in such a submissive pose was quite the turn on.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked when the elder didn't make a sound or move.

"Quiet, I'm thinking," Hiro grumbled, arms still holding Nowaki's for dear life lest the horny man flip him over and use him as a pin cushion.

Nowaki smiled and slowly broke free. He wrapped his arms around the other and pulled him in, hugging him close to his chest. "I love you, Hiro-san," he whispered.

Kamijou made some sound of acceptance as he too wrapped his arms around the big lug. "What time you do want to go out?" he asked.

"Whenever you're ready, Hiro-san," Nowaki answered, beaming. "Whenever you're ready."

**Takahashi Takahiro**

Jovial eyes gazed fondly at the boy who was Takahashi Mahiro. The child was dressed in a yellow and blue yukata, adorned with flowers. Being able to dress his son up in traditional dress for Tanabata made Takahiro thrilled beyond belief. He was sure his little brother would have enjoyed the sight as well, but Usami had wanted to do something special for Misaki, so Takahiro had relented and not pressed the issue of his baby brother coming home for the holiday.

"Your uncle Misaki wore this when he was our age, Mahiro," Takahiro commented while tickling his son to the point where drool was escaping the toddler's mouth and falling to the floor. The boy just giggled and continued squirming against his father's relentless attacks. "I used to do this to Misaki too," he continued. "Though I was much younger and it's easier to hold onto you than it was to hold onto him."

"Papa!" Mahiro shrieked in joy as his father lifted him up upside down and carried him into the kitchen, face turning red from the rush of blood.

"What do you think, Nanami?" the husband asked his wife.

Said wife chuckled slightly. "I don't think his red face matches the robes," she replied, honestly.

Takahiro giggled and turned his son right side up and placed him on his shoulders. "Let's go and make some memories to show Misaki."

The trio left the house to enjoy the festivities together, even if a part of their family was absent.

**Onodera Ritsu and Takano Masamune no Baai**

Masamune rolled onto his back and yawned, waking up from a very peaceful slumber. His dreams the prior night had been about him and Onodera spending the holiday together, going to tie wishes to the trees, having a romantic dinner, followed by making love as many times as possible until the sun rose in the sky. Those were good dreams and for the most part he dreamt about the younger man every night anyway, but he knew that Ritsu had a hard time saying no to him on holidays, so this was a big deal for him.

The editor-in-chief slowly got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom, followed by dressing, and exiting the apartment. Luck was in his favor when his lover had moved in right next door. It was on the forefront of his mind to ask the green-eyed gypsy who had stolen his heart to cohabitate. This way he could sleep with Onodera in his arms every night. Holding the slighter man while he slept helped him stay in slumber that much longer.

He knocked on the metallic entryway and waited patiently to hear the apartment's lone occupant trudge toward the door and open it. Takano was greeted by silence, so he rang the doorbell a few times. This time he hit gold when a disheveled head poked out, glaring daggers at him.

"It's five in the morning, Takano-san. If you don't remember this, we were at work till three, which means I've had a total of 30 minutes of sleep," Onodera growled, venomously.

Masamune chuckled. It was true, not much sleep had been granted, but if the young editor had wanted more sleep he should have taken the invite to stay over, then they could have slept till noon for all Takano cared.

"I'm here to pick you up for Tanabata, Onodera, so go get dressed," Takano stated with authority, leaving no room to decline.

He was turned down anyway. "Sorry, Takano-san, I promised my family and An-chan that I'd spend the holiday with them this year."

His heart fell. Of course someone who was actually on semi-decent terms with his family was bound to spend the holiday with them, but he'd had high hopes that this year could have been about he and Onodera. Takano did his best to keep from showing his emotions, though in truth he was both saddened and scared. He always worried that whenever Ritsu was near the girl the younger man would start to see her differently and that would be the end of them. His biggest fear was losing Ritsu and he didn't deny this fact.

Trying to keep his cool, Takano asked, "when will you be back tonight? We can meet up afterward," he suggested.

"I'm staying with my parents tonight and will be home in time for work tomorrow," Onodera responded lazily.

Another arrow had been shot through his heart. Obviously the kid couldn't even tell how much this was affecting him. Onodera was a little on the thick side at times, but that could have been Takano's nature as well. It wasn't as if his emotions were on his sleeve for the world to see, after all.

"Oh," he responded dumbly, trying to make it sound like it wasn't a big deal. He had no right to dictate Onodera's life all the time, so Takano was willing to let him spend the time with his family as long as it was what the kid wanted. "I'll see you at work tomorrow then," he said emotionlessly. With that he turned and walked down the hallway toward his car. He didn't want Ritsu to see him changing what he was planning on doing just because the other wasn't going to be with him.

/GG/

Ritsu watched the man walk off with a look of shock apparent on his face. Normally the taller man would drag him out of his apartment and insist he spend time with him. It had been true that his family had wanted to spend the day with him, but he didn't really plan on going. In truth he wanted to spend the day at home sleeping rather than go out and do anything. He'd have been more than okay if Takano had wanted to stay at his place and they could have just talked. There was nothing wrong with talking.

As he watched his senpai walk away from him he felt a pang of regret in his heart. He didn't like to make other people sad and while Takano didn't always show emotion he knew that the elder must have felt something at being turned down. So now what; was he supposed to follow Takano or go spend the night fending off his mother's pressings about he and An-chan getting married?

Onodera shut the door and wiped the sweat from his brow. Now he was at a loss. He'd grown accustomed to being taken for a ride, as it were. That didn't seem to be happening this time and he almost wasn't sure how to react. The editor could feel his heart rate speed up and his breath become shallow, all because he knew that he'd just hurt the man he was too embarrassed to admit he loved more than anything else in the world.

Without cause he stood up and made like a zombie through his house. It was clear he was having these thoughts because of his lack of sleep. He needed to pass out again for a few hours and his ideas would stop churning about in his brain and he'd be able to think. Yes, sleep was a necessary part of healing what his body was telling him, but what he didn't want to listen to.

/GG/

Takano walked along the almost deserted path to the point in which he'd wanted to take Onodera that morning. Thoughts of taking the younger man had escaped as he knew it was fruitless to even hope the other would follow him. He knew he didn't have hold of the other quite yet and that was painful. So when he reached the tree he took a piece of paper and clearly wrote; _I don't want to lose Onodera again_, in nice, neat letters. Slowly he folded the paper and tied to it a branch. His wish was there and he hoped the gods would smile upon him.

At that time the sun was in the east, rising melodically from the horizon. He could make out all sorts of bright colors as the sky went from dark to light. _Next year,_ he promised himself, _Onodera and I will share this sunrise together, and every year thereafter._

Takano decided to walk about the park for a while and he saw other early risers meandering along the path. Jealousy took hold as he tried not to think about Onodera walking with him, hands clasped, and smiles adorning their faces. _Next year._ Takano was patient when necessary, so he'd bide his time.

/GG/

Onodera Ritsu looked at the clock on his wall. Five hours had passed since his early morning meeting with his superior and he was quite sure the other hadn't returned since he'd been going over to the apartment on the hour and ringing the doorbell. When sleep didn't immediately come he realized that what he'd done had caused the opportunity to fly out the window. He'd never get any shut eye if his mind was on Takano. Onodera felt fifteen again and it was grating on his nerves.

The last time he'd gone to the apartment was slightly more than thirty minutes prior and he was beginning to wonder if his boss hadn't just gone in to work, not that it was necessary. Sure, many worked on Tanabata, but for some reason Takano had given the entire team the day off. _He must have done that so he could spend the time with me_, Onodera though, dejectedly. The last thing he'd wanted to do was constantly hurt the other man, but he'd gotten very good at doing that, or so it seemed.

Ritsu looked at the clock again and saw that another fifty seconds or so had passed. Waiting was for the birds. He was beginning to think that if he didn't do something soon he'd go insane. As he watched the clock tick away he began to lose focus and that's when he heard movement in the hallway. Normally he wasn't able to hear anything, but his ears had become just sensitive enough to pick out the slight sound of a door opening and closing. Where it was he couldn't pinpoint, but that didn't matter. Onodera shot up without a thought and raced to the door like he had when he was a child. He flung it open and saw that the hallway was bare, so he, sans shoes, went to Takano's door and knocked. Once his hand hit the door his heart all but stopped.

Takano opened the door, a tired look on his face. When he saw Onodera standing there he about collapsed in shock. "Onodera, what are you doing here?" he asked, at a loss for words and coherent thought.

"I-I-I…" Onodera couldn't form any full sentences either.

The editor-in-chief smiled at his bumbling neighbor, who was standing at his threshold without any shoes, and blushing like a virgin bride about to have her cherry popped. Whatever the reason for the younger man to be there, he didn't give one flying fuck. So he pulled the man into his apartment and pushed him against the wall. His lips found Onodera's and within moments he was kissing the man like it was the last time he'd see him.

Ritsu wasn't quite sure how he'd ended up trapped against the wall, but at that moment the carnal urge had taken over and he didn't care anymore. His hands groped blindly at whatever part of Takano they could. He didn't even protest when he felt his pants being removed, or when he was pulled to the floor. All that mattered was that he was going to spend the day with Takano, no matter how much he complained about it the following day.

**Sardonica**

Okay, so there was no denying that Usami Akihiko in a yukata was one of the hottest creatures on Earth. Sumi had seen him many a time in magazines and whatnot throughout the years, but the older the man got the more gorgeous he became. And seeing the object of his unrequited affection wearing such a getup only meant that he'd actually planned on spending this worthless holiday pestering Takashi Misaki. Sumi wondered how the kid hadn't reached a breaking point for all of Usami-san's wacked out idiosyncrasies.

Of course it was fate that brought the two of them together on Tanabata, even if neither had really intended to run into the other. Sumi never gave up the chance to torment Usami until he realized that Misaki couldn't give him what he needed, and that was a firm hand. The writer's son decided he needed to make his presence known just so he could get in a laugh before he was sent packing.

Usami Akihiko didn't know whether to be happy or not. He detested walking around in the open in a ridiculous outfit, but he also knew that Misaki was used to the whole shebang and he wanted to be a part of the holiday, if only to keep Misaki from running off to his brother's again like he'd done the years prior. This year was going to be different and he had every intention in keeping Misaki by his side, no matter what humiliation he had to endure.

"Usami-san," an unmistakable voice called, causing the hairs on the back of Akihiko's neck to stand on end. "Smile!"

Smile? What the fuck? He turned around just in time to see that pompous ass Sumi take a picture of him wearing the very object that would soon be spread on the news, he was sure.

"I must admit, Usami-san," Sumi said, staring intently at the picture on his mobile. "You make that yukata look rather…dull."

God that kid was definitely playing the part of jerk well. The writer glared, deathly, at the other man and wondered why, for all reasons, would Misaki's friend actually chase him when, number one: he was taken, and number two: he seemed to despise everything about the man who was Usami Akihiko? His affections made absolutely no sense unless the brat was trolling the fuck out of him. He'd already started plaguing the author's dreams from time to time, taunting him and mocking everything he held dear.

"And now that you have such a picture, what do you plan on doing with it?" Akihiko asked, icily.

Sumi eyed him pensively before speaking. "I was thinking it would make a good piece for gossip rag fodder," he replied, rather stoically.

Usami wanted to groan, but kept his calm as he decided on the best course of action. Odds are the kid was bluffing and it wasn't that he didn't end up in those rags all the time. Of course that was when he was normally dressed. Usami Akihiko wearing a yellow yukata and walking about the town was a completely different story.

"Do you mind if I accompany you, Usami-san?" Sumi asked innocently, yet the meaning was completely opposite. Nor was that an actual request, it was the kid saying he was going to walk with Akihiko whether he wanted the man to or not.

With no other choice in the matter the elder allowed the former student to join him in stride. While his skin continued to crawl slightly, the younger man didn't try to pull anything and just walked silently behind him.

"How is Misaki doing, Usami-san?" Sumi asked.

"Why do you care?" the silver-haired man asked, annoyed and a little confused. He knew full well that Sumi was after him, so why would Misaki be brought up?

Keiichi chuckled, dryly. "Whatever happens between us, Usami-san, Misaki will always be my friend."

Akihiko wanted to growl, but kept his composure. Someone would have to be an idiot to believe that Sumi actually cared all that much about Misaki. Even the kid knew that Sumi had pretty much befriended him to get to Usami. He doubted, based on the man's past, that he'd changed his tune.

"Hell will freeze over before I believe something like that coming from your mouth," Usami spit, annoyed and ready to avenge his lover to the death need be.

Sumi smiled curtly. "You have quite the temper, don't you, Usami-san," he commented. "But I can say," he leaned in close to Usami's ear and bit down slightly, causing the elder to try and jump out of the way. He would have too had a pair of arms not wrapped around his midriff and kept him in place. "For certain," Sumi whispered huskily, "that hell has frozen over."

The writer took that time to pull himself free and turn on the menace in his path. "I will never choose you," he said evenly. "Not when I have my soul mate." Yes, the line was corny, but Akihiko didn't give a flying fuck at that point. Doing an about face he marched off and used his sleeve to wipe his ear where the younger man had bit him. God, how he wished he was more aggressive like that kid Hiroki was boning; then he could have flattened the brat. However he knew that Misaki wouldn't like such behavior, so he internally vented instead. Waiting for him at home was his little lover and he needed a refill.

A pair of glasses glared in the sun, the eyes behind watching as his idol walked away. Had he gone overboard? Not even close. He'd tasted the forbidden fruit and intended to taste the rest. No one would stand in his way.

**Mistake**

"I fail to see what was so important we needed to come to this exact place today, Ryuuichiro-sama," Asahina commented, looking out at the middle of nowhere.

Isaka smiled broadly and kept from chuckling. Asahina was usually the one with the golden memory about their lives together, but he seemed to be blanking on this specific area. The owner of Marukawa Publishing was going to treat his lover to one hell of a blast from the past.

"I like it here, so I don't see why you care," he responded, nonchalantly.

Asahina rolled his eyes and allowed himself to follow the hyperactive man on whatever trip he wanted to take. It was clear his lover had some sort of affection for the place, but he had no idea what that affection could be or where it stemmed from.

The two continued over the pathless land until they reached a grove of trees. There were seven in the little spot, completely surrounded by rice fields. In the distance Asahina could see farmers working in the fields and he silently thanked them for all they did for the Japanese people.

Isaka walked to the third tree in the bunch and fell to his knees and started to dig in the dirt like an excited child making mud pies. It didn't take long for a nice pile of earth to appear and he kept digging until his fingers found their prize. He could feel the tin box and he started digging outward to he could pull the box from its resting place. With a whoop he pulled the container from the ground and held it over his head like a trophy.

Kaoru stared wide-eyed at the sight of his lover, covered in dirt, holding a small tin box from a million years ago. The memory of their coming to that very area and burying the box came flooding back to him faster than he could think. So fast, in fact, it was giving him a headache.

"Do you remember burying this with me Kaoru?" Isaka asked, wiping sweat from his brow and smearing dirt onto his face.

Asahina nodded and fell to his knees. The box had something important to both of them, kind of like a time capsule. Around the time when Ryuuichiro had started to open up to the boy and they became friends he'd insisted that they take a picture of the two of them with his father's camera. That picture was never seen by anyone else, thanks to Polaroid. Then, on Tanabata over twenty years ago, they'd snuck out of the festivities and rode their bikes to the train station, hopped a train, took a bus, and then walked to this very spot.

He recalled that this had been an area Isaka had frequented as a child to see the fireworks during Lunar New Year. His lover adored the place and had always tried to get Asahina to go back, but the secretary was too busy. Never in his life was he so glad to take time off to follow one of Isaka's whims. Kaoru had completely forgotten such a place existed.

"I'd forgotten that was here," he admitted, a tinge of sadness in his voice.

Isaka started to laugh and shook his head. "And here I thought you remembered everything, Asahina," he replied, slyly. Ryuuichiro stood up and sauntered over to his secretary, knelt down, and threw his arm around the other's shoulder, effectively soiling Asahina's shirt.

Kaoru had no idea why he'd forgotten such a happening in his life. Normally he remembered everything he and Isaka had done as kids; something the latter was always teasing him about. But here was his lover showing him that even he, the greatest secretary in the world, still had things to work on.

Together they opened the box and looked at the picture inside. The tin had done a good job of keeping the contents free from too much harm. Plus, the fact that the sun hadn't reached the picture left the image crisp and clean. Isaka grinned as he picked up the picture and held it out in front of their faces so they could gaze back into the past.

"God, you've gotten so old, Asahina," Ryuuichiro commented.

Asahina raised an eyebrow and looked at his lover. "And you haven't? I think I see some white hair starting to appear on your head here." The response was deadpan, but reiterated that the secretary could hold his own in a verbal discussion, even if he was stoic on other occasions.

"Hardly, those are my natural light hairs," Isaka giggled. "You're going to get old before I do, it's already been foreseen."

Kaoru raised his eyes and sighed. "I doubt you'll get any older any slower than I do, after all, we're in this together till the end," he commented, reaching for the picture, which Isaka kept from him. Asahina tried to reach for it again and slipped, falling on his side and taking the other down with him. Isaka eyed him slyly and moved fast till he was straddling his lover.

"You realize that we've never done anything here, right?" Isaka asked.

Asahina gazed at his lover, almost forgetting that they were actually outside, in the dirt. "Like we'd have done anything when we were twelve years old," he replied, dryly, doing his best to keep from letting his nether regions start to heat up.

"Then maybe we should…" Isaka whispered, leaning down and capturing his lover's lips in a heated kiss. He kept one arm away from Asahina; the picture still within the hand and out of harm's way.

The secretary allowed the kiss to continue for a short while longer before he used his hands to push the slighter man away minutely. "If we're not careful this tree's going to be initiated," Asahina gasped.

Isaka grinned and leaned in so his lips were right next to the other's left ear. "And what makes you think I didn't foresee this, Ka-o-ru," he hissed, accenting the other's name with rubbing his pants covered ass over the other's pants covered cock.

Eyes rolled into the back of Asahina's head as his lover effectively turned him on enough not to care. He was just about at his limit anyway and the fact that Isaka took that time to pull a roll of condoms from his pocket all but solidified what was soon to happen. All Asahina could think about was the bath he, his lover, and all of their clothes would need when they finally returned. Not to mention the car was going to need to be cleaned out as well.

**Romantica**

Akihiko was actually a little out of sorts when he entered his condo. Who knew that having a professional dress you so you could look your best would end up with an encounter with the devil? Now he was rather perturbed and wanted nothing more than to feel his lover's body under his fingertips and in his mouth.

"Usagi-san?" Misaki was quite shocked to see the elder walk into the room wearing an ornate, traditional yukata. His body actually started to heat up and he averted his eyes to make sure his lover didn't see the change.

The writer smiled and he walked toward the boy with a gleam in his eyes. His prey was standing in the kitchen throwing hot pot ingredients into a pot so that when they returned they could heat it up quickly and eat without any issue. Akihiko was planning on taking Misaki to the parade then to one of the ritzy hotels on the strip where they'd initiate every surface.

"Misaki," Usami purred, walking forward and handing a bag to the youth.

"What's this, Usagi-san?" Misaki asked, looking in the bag and about shitting a brick. The contents within were exactly the same as the yukata Usami was wearing. "A matching yukata? How much did this cost?! What have I told you about not spending ridiculous amounts of money, Usagi-san?" he snarled, glaring daggers at his lover.

Usami laughed and placed a hand on his lover's head, keeping the kid from moving out of the way. "For you, my little Misaki, money is no object."

"What the hell, Usagi-san!" Misaki screeched. "Save your money so you can live when you can no longer write."

The silver-haired man pulled Misaki into a hug and placed feather-light kisses to his head. "If you're worried about my ability to type, such as my hands going out, you don't have to worry, Misaki," he crooned. "Though I do love it when you show me your love in such a way."

Misaki squirmed and grumbled. "It has nothing to do with love!" Of course that was a lie and everyone in the room, including all of the teddy bears sitting on the sofa, could tell.

"Aikawa-san bought me a program that will type what I say, so there is nothing to worry about. I could be armless, but I'd still be able to type since I do it all for you now anyway."

The green-eyed boy stropped struggling and let his lover hold him. How in the hell could he say such embarrassing things? And how could he say such nice things to boot?

"Now, Misaki, let's get you dressed. We're going to the parade in an hour," Usami stated, kissing the boy and then pulling him up the stairs. Misaki could do nothing but trudge along.

He didn't know how different it could be, having your lover dress you as opposed to your brother. Takahiro couldn't always afford the most expensive of things, but he always made sure to have a yukata for Misaki (thought they were pretty much his old hand-me-downs anyway) so the boy didn't have to feel left out.

When his brother dressed him it was like being in a tailor's office. They were only there to dress and Takahiro was always rather calm when putting the dressing on correctly. Even after Misaki had figured out how to dress himself he still let his brother do the honors, especially after their parents died, because it was a time to bond. He'd not have changed that, even if this new experience was completely different.

Usami was not the best at putting the outfit on, but he made the entire process so sensual that it was almost erotic. The author started by stripping Misaki and then kissing the available parts of his skin. He required Misaki to wear a fundoshi, which caused the young man to blush intently. And while there was no foreplay of any type, Usami's fingers ghosting over his flaccid cock sent shivers up Misaki's spine. He had to will his organ not to dance or they'd never get to the parade on time.

"You are so beautiful, Misaki," Usami mumbled to himself, not realizing that the object of his desire heard him loud and clear and flushed rather scarlet. "It's a shame to cover you up in so many pieces of fabric." Misaki just let him have his fun since it was clear something was on his mind.

The author continued with his routine and soon Misaki was kissed all over and full of goose pimples, a yukata hugging his skin and making him feel rather a chill even though it was warm inside of the condo. His cool body was due to Usami's ministrations, but he wouldn't let the rabbit know or they'd end up in the bed doing dirty things.

"Usagi-san," Misaki said, rather jovially. "Thank you," he continued, solemnly; though one could still hear a hint of excitement in his voice.

Usami flashed a trademark smile and stood up so he could look at his lover. "It was worth it to see you in this outfit, Misaki," he replied. "Are you ready to go to the parade?"

Misaki beamed and nodded. "It'll be a good day, Usagi-san," Misaki stated. In his head he was actually rather excited. This was his first Tanabata with Usami and he was going to enjoy it, on the inside at least. On the outside he may pretend to be annoyed, but only slightly. After all it was high time he at least show his happiness on occasion.

Green eyes danced as the hands attached to Misaki's arms reached forward and took hold of Usami's, causing the elder's eyes to pop out of their sockets. Just for that day, the day when the lovers came together as equals, he was willing to allow his true feelings to show, no matter how embarrassing.

"Wait, Misaki," Usami spoke, feeling the other's fingers in his own. "You're shaking, are you cold?"

At those words Misaki's heart about jumped into his throat. "N-n-no, Usagi-san," he rambled, trying to pull away. "I'm fine, let's just go to the parade." By this time in his life he was sure of what was going to happen and he was none too happy; he didn't want to miss the parade.

Usami pulled Misaki closer to him and could feel the youth shaking in his embrace. He snaked his arms around Misaki's body and all but picked him off the ground. No way were they going anywhere when his toy was cold. That just wouldn't do.

"If you aren't cold, then why are you shaking, little MIsaki?"

_Because you're body is too close! Haven't you realized that _you_ do this to me? Stupid Usagi!_ Misaki wanted to shout that out, but of course that wasn't about to happen. Instead he just shook more, though he ignored the reasons as best he could for the time allotted.

"Come, Misaki," Usami purred in his lover's ear. "I'll make you warm all over."

Misaki wanted to call out at him to stop, but that was never going to happen. Even a struggle wouldn't do much of anything, so he just let his overgrown child-like landlord carry him to the bed; it was where he expected to end up anyway.

**Hatori Yoshiyuki and Yoshino Chiaki no Baai (Bound)**

_(Twenty__**-**__Two Years Earlier)_

"I like Tori's better though, mama!" Chiaki whined after seeing Hatori in his blue yukata. It was much cooler looking than his orange one, but they'd wanted matching yukata for both him and baby Chinatsu and that was the only color they could find. Chiaki didn't like orange, nor did he like the stupid yukata.

"Would you like to trade, Yoshino?" Hatori asked, wanting to see his friend smile rather than look on the verge of tears.

"No," Chiaki hiccupped, wiping the tear that was threatening to escape with the sleeve of the gaudy-colored clothing he was forced to wear. "I want to wear blue like you so we can match."

"Now Chiaki, I told you that I wanted you to match your baby sister," Chiaki's mother said with a slight scold. Hatori looked at his mom, eyes pleading with her to do something for his best friend.

"I have an idea, Yoshino-san," Hatori's mother stated calmly. "Would you mind letting me take all three for a couple of hours?"

Hatori didn't know what his mother was planning, but it made Yoshio stop crying, so whatever it was he was glad she had stepped in. The boy was grateful when an agreement was made, all three were removed from their respective yukata, and he was on his way to Chiaki's house to spend a few hours. Tanabata was on hold for a short while.

Once in Yoshino's room the two boys sat on the floor and started to play with the new Transformers toys Chiaki had been given as a bribe from when his little sister had been born. Hatori was holding the robot that turned into a car in his hand and rolling it about the room while Chiaki spent a little bit of time setting his collection in a row.

"Hey, Tori, we can always spend this holiday together, right?" Chiaki asked.

"Yes, as long as we spend it with family," Tori answered, rolling the car over to Yoshino and up his foot until it came to rest on the other boy's leg. Absentmindedly his hand let the car go and his hand came to rest on the upper part of Chiaki's thigh. Hatori cocked his head to the side and felt his face flush when he realized how close his hand was to the other's private area. That was not an area he should ever be touching!

"Why do we have to spend it with family?" Yoshino asked, turning so he was facing his friend, blue eyes curious.

"It's just a feeling I have that I'll spend this particular holiday with my family," Hatori said.

Chiaki laughed and took hold of a couple of robots. "You sound like a grown-up, Tori," he giggled.

At that point in his life Hatori had started to mature quite a bit faster than Chiaki. He'd found out that Chiaki's parents had wanted to hold him back a year, so he'd gone to their house and begged them to let Yoshino go to elementary school with him. They ended up relenting and were actually surprised that Chiaki had been perfectly ready to move forward. Hatori knew he'd always have Yoshino's back because he loved his best friend more than he loved himself.

He smiled slightly and the two continued to play with the toys in Yoshino's room until both mothers came looking for them. The holiday was almost forgotten at that junction. And by the time they were collected they didn't really want to have Tanabata anyway.

"Come on you two," Chiaki's mom said sternly. Her attitude was a little on the scary side thanks to the baby's constant crying and the fact that it took more than three hours to _fix _the yukata.

Hatori took hold of Chiaki's hand and the two walked down the stairs and out the door. They made their way across the street with Chiaki's mom and a squirming Chinatsu. Sometimes Chiaki's mom was a little overbearing and it made Hatori feel a little on edge. However his feelings changed when he walked into his house and saw his dad holding two yukata in his hand. His mouth fell and he pointed Chiaki into the right direction.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Chiaki screamed, running toward Hatori's smiling father holding two matching yukata of orange and blue. Of course they were mirror image, but Chiaki didn't care. He was so excited to see that he'd get to wear a yukata the same color as Tori's. "Look, Tori," he all but shouted, "we'll get to match!"

Hatori kept a little calmer, but he was just as excited inside to see the matching yukata. Even the little yukata for Chinatsu looked similar with an orange and blue bodice and a blue wrap.

"Let's get the kids dressed and we can take a group photo," Hatori's father commented, waving for the boys to follow him. Chiaki took hold of Tori's hand again and followed the older man, a huge smile on his face.

_(Present Day)_

"I am not happy about being here, Hatori," Chiaki complained as he glared at the street where they'd grown up together.

"I can tell," the other replied, knowing instantly that Chiaki wasn't happy when he'd gone to collect him earlier that morning. The fact that Yoshino kept referring to him by his full family name rather than the nickname he'd used for years was a clear indicator.

"Promise we can leave early," Yoshino said, reaching over and absentmindedly feeling for Hatori's hand. The other man's presence always calmed him down enough he was able to stomach seeing his overbearing mother.

"We need to at least make an appearance, Yoshino, and since you're here this year they may want us to stay longer. Normally I stay over at my parent's house and return early the next morning," Hatori calmly spoke to his lover.

"I don't mind staying at your house, but the last time when your parents were out of town my mother kept calling since I refused to stay at her place," Chiaki whined, reminding the editor of how much the other really disliked his family. Hatori didn't have a clue what had caused Yoshino's dislike of his family, but he was going to start looking into that reason once this holiday was over.

/GG/

Once the formalities were finished and the two families were present in the Yoshino household Chiaki found out something he had no idea had been happening. Hatori's parents were sifting through all of the past Tanabata photos from the time the boys were young all the way until the prior year. While the ones until the end of high school didn't really cause him pause he about did a spit-take when he saw the one from his first year of university. The picture showed an 18 year old Hatori with his little sister and they were wearing a matching set of yukata.

The following years weren't much better. Chiaki could hear absolutely nothing when he watched his lover and his sister appear in a matching set each and every year he hadn't shown up. Hatori always looked stoic in the pictures, but he could tell his sister was in love with his lover from about the second year of their matching. His heart fell when he saw his mother produce two identical yukata, one for Hatori and one for Chinatsu.

"Chiaki," the woman scolded, eyes rather annoyed. "If I'd known you were coming then I'd have made one for you too, but since you never call I had no idea, so I only made the matching set for Yoshiyuki-kun and Chinatsu."

The mangaka was never more horrified in his life. He'd known his mother was itching for his baby sister to marry Hatori, but he had no idea that Hatori had actually gone along with the idea. From the time he was in university Chiaki'd not gone to his parent's house for Tanabata, but Hatori had gone home every year, so there were ten whole pictures of he and Chinatsu looking like a married couple in his mother's photo album. His heart cried out in disgust and a twinge of fear. His mind couldn't think of anything else. Was Hatori only playing with him?

"Don't we look cute together, Chiaki?" Chinatsu asked; all sorts of happy.

He didn't know what to say and it was clear from the look on Hatori's face that the normally stoic man was rather embarrassed at being ousted like this. "Um…sure…" he mumbled, feeling rather alone.

Hatori eyed Yoshino and his own heart fell. He'd had no idea that Chiaki would take such a thing this bad. He recalled the first time all three of them had dressed the same those years back. Eventually Chiaki and Chinatsu had dressed the same while he had been dressed by his own mother. Even Yanase was around and dressed in his own way. It was clear that the initial meaning of Yoshino-san was to make the outfits for her own two kids, but when Chiaki had stopped showing up and she offered the yukata to him, he didn't want to offend her and thus the tradition had started. Chiaki was obviously taking this the wrong way.

Yoshino-san beamed and thrust the two outfits at the persons intended. "Go change you two; I'll dig out a different yukata for Chiaki!" Anyone could tell what was on her mind. "You two make the perfect couple!"

Chiaki glared at his mother, stood up, and disappeared up the stairs and into his room. Hatori nodded at Chinatsu, his family, and his lover's mother before excusing himself to follow Chiaki up the stairs. It was clear what was making Yoshino upset and Hatori had come prepared. Years of matching yukata and the fact that he'd willingly dressed in the clothes Chiaki's mom had always chosen to match Chinatsu's had finally blown up in his face.

"Yoshino," he said, walking into Chiaki's room and seeing the other sitting on his bed with his feet up to his chest. Hatori made an unconscious comparison between the way Chiaki was seated to L from Death Note. "I'm not planning on wearing a yukata this year," he commented dryly.

"Why did you wear matching ones with my sister for years and not tell me?" Chiaki asked, beyond agitated.

Hatori sighed and sat on the bed. "I don't think it had to do with her always wanting to hook me up with your sister, Yoshino," Hatori replied. "It started out that she'd made the yukata for you and you stopped coming, so I was given the one she made for you every year. She did it because she missed you."

"That doesn't look like how she's thinking anymore. I can tell she thinks you'd be a perfect match for Chinatsu and it pisses me off!" Chiaki spit, not sure who he was mad at; his mom or Hatori.

The blue-eyed editor scooted closer and pulled his lover into his embrace. "Maybe it's time to tell your family, and mine," he said. "I want you happy, and clearly you aren't."

Chiaki didn't know how to respond. He knew that by telling them the shit may very well hit the fan. Telling his sister may even be worse than his parents. It was clear that Chinatsu was rather addicted to Hatori, which meant that it was going to be hard on her to have her dreams crushed. But what about his own dreams? Was it okay to be a little selfish every now and then?

A brief flash of his life popped into his head and he realized that he, Chiaki, was one of the most selfish creatures on the planet. So maybe it wasn't something he should be wishing for. However he knew that for some unknown reason he made Hatori happy, and that man was the least selfish creature in existence. How on Earth had the two of them ended up together?

Then the story of the two lovers popped into his head. While their story didn't quite match and neither was really separated from one another, they did come together on this day. Chiaki looked at Hatori, who was remaining silent, in contemplation, and he realized how much he not only needed the man, but how much he really loved him as well. Even if they did tell their respective families, he didn't really care as long as he could keep Hatori to himself.

"I don't want to think about you wearing a yukata that matches Chinatsu," Chiaki all but snarled. "She can't have you!"

Hatori's eyes went wide at the claim of ownership. Inside he was thrilled, but his thought was still on whether they should finally come clean so no one in their respective families would try to, unintentionally, pull them apart anymore.

"How about you think about the idea of telling our parents," Tori said seriously. "I know I've pretty much ruined our first Tanabata together in over ten years, but I can't change the past." Hatori had grown accustomed to thinking about others before he thought about Chiaki and in this case it was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry," Chiaki mumbled.

"What for?" Hatori asked, leaning in and letting Chiaki's head rest against his.

"For putting you in that position. I'm sure you did it because you're too nice for your own good. You're like one of those overly-ridiculous girls in a shojo manga."

Yoshiyuki chuckled, not sure how to take being compared to such a character. Chiaki was too cute when he was like this and while he wasn't happy with how his lover had come to this stage, he was glad the issue was a non-issue.

"I love you, Chiaki," Hatori whispered, placing a kiss on the other's hairy head.

Chiaki didn't respond. He was too busy thinking about Hatori's suggestion. Maybe it was time to come clean, and it scared him almost as much as the thought of losing the man he loved.

**Misaki and Ijuuin**

That stupid idiot of a lover and his hair-brained ideas generally did a very good job of pissing Misaki off in a royal way. Oftentimes they were so ridiculous he wanted nothing more than to beat the man over his head with one of the unending supply of teddy bears kept in the 'bear room' of the condo. Making Misaki dress up in a yukata and keeping him in town was a cute idea, but not at all what the college student had wanted.

Then again, at times it was much better to spend time with Usagi-san than his brother. He loved his brother with all his heart, but when the elder Takahashi's overbearing personality kept him from exploring Misaki tended to get a little annoyed. The green-eyed boy was grateful that Takahiro had a wife and son to spend the day with now that he'd effectively ditched his horny lover for a little bit of peace and quiet, sans the yukata he'd been forced to wear for all of thirty minutes before said horny lover stripped him down to his birthday suit and fucked him senseless.

"Well, well, well," an unwelcome voice commented from behind, startling Misaki from his musings. He turned to see Ijuuin-sensei, looking beautiful, staring at him with a smirk on his face. "I see someone let his pet out to play by his lonesome today."

Misaki blanched and did his best to keep up appearances. "Hello, sensei," he said politely. "Are you having a good Tanabata?"

The mangaka grinned. "I am now. What a stroke of luck to run into you here of all places."

Both men looked at the surroundings and took in their location. It wasn't any place special; however it was the closest convenience store to Usami's condo, so Misaki frequented the area quite often. The odd part was seeing Ijuuin there.

"I live around here, sensei, so it's not really a surprise to run into me here on occasion," the green-eyed boy stated matter-of-factly.

"Too true, Misaki, and I am grateful that I happened to be in the area."

Misaki was slightly curious. He looked at the other man with an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you here visiting family, Ijuuin-sensei?" There had to be a logical explanation for their meeting. He wasn't a stalker, after all.

"Nope, only hoping to run into you."

_Okay, so he was a stalker! _ Misaki felt his face flush with the realization and he tried to act as casual as casual as possible. "But you can see me at work," he pointed out, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"Not the way I want to, Misaki," the older man replied, a hint of wickedness in his voice. One of these days his adoration would penetrate Misaki's thick skin and he'd realize that it was better for the two of them to be together, rather than the kid stay with someone like Usami Akihiko. It was clear the author suffered from Asperger's Syndrome, but he had brainwashed the boy into thinking they were in love with one another.

Misaki, on the other hand, was trying to think of a way to change the subject. "Don't you have family you can visit, Ijuuin-sensei?" he asked, rather innocently, scuffing his feet on the sidewalk while looking at the pebbles by his shoes.

"Only you."

The younger man's face burned and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, sensei, but I already have people to spend today with. I think…I think…" he started stuttering as he tried to get his point across. "I think we should only see each other at work. " There, he'd gotten the words out, even if they were weak in their release.

Ijuuin laughed. "But remember what the spirit of Tanabata is about, Misaki-chan," he said simply.

Misaki eyed the man he'd turned down with a slightly pained and worried expression in his big green eyes. The look in the other's caused shivers to go up and down his spine. "What?" he asked, dumbly.

"One day a year," Ijuuin stated. "We can come together," he leaned in and put his finger into Misaki's shirt between the second and third buttons. Misaki could feel the man's finger on his skin and it made him jump back slightly. "I will stop pursuing you the other three-hundred and sixty-four days if we can come together on this one day a year."

The boy blushed further and bowed his head. _No! _his head screamed, _I'll not do that to Usagi-san!_

"No!" he shouted, stepping back and into the street light pole. "You're making me feel weird, sensei," he hissed, feeling his body start to heat up.

"That's the point, Misaki," Ijuuin replied, stealthily. "Is Usami not doing it well for you?"

Okay, now the man's pursuit was crossing a line. He had no right to make such a vulgar comment about anyone, let alone Misaki's lover. Besides, Usami was more than capable of taking care of him when necessary. The younger man, fire in his eyes, glared at the mangaka.

"Don't ever say that about Usagi-san!" he bellowed, ready for the fight. "I love Usami Akihiko and no one is going to change that. I may admire you sensei, but that's as far as it will go. You should know better than to chase someone like they belonged to you!" Misaki took stock of what he said and about vomited. He looked at the other's face and could feel his stomach do a flip flop. Ijuuin had a look of shock on his face, but there was still a hint of bemusement in his eyes, making Misaki realize that it wasn't over yet.

"Is there a problem here?" another voice asked, causing Misaki's shoulders to shake.

The boy turned and looked up. "Usami-ani!"

Haruhiko looked at the other man and Misaki. He could tell Misaki was distressed; the last time he'd seen the kid that freaked out was when he made a comment about Akihiko, too. "Come on, Misaki, I'll walk you home," the elder Usami said. He may not have liked his brother all that much, but he did care enough for Misaki to help the kid out.

Misaki looked between the two, actually afraid of his decision. Then he bowed at Ijuuin and said, "I'll see you some other time, sensei." He then followed Haruhiko back toward the condo.

A pair of eyes followed the two retreating figures. He began to wonder if maybe he wasn't pushing the kid too hard. Maybe if he eased up then Misaki would come to him on his own.

**Poetica**

The sound of his heart beating in his ear was the beat Misaki walked to. His prior encounter was still fresh in his mind, but he was slightly thinking that it wasn't the first time Usami-ani had come to his rescue. After a few minutes of silent walking Misaki spoke up. "Usami-san, what are you doing here?"

The stoic man turned and looked at Misaki for a moment before responding. "I am working on the interior of an apartment complex down the way. I was going to the convenience store for some extra pencils when I ran into you and that other gentleman."

Misaki nodded and tried to figure out why this holiday was turning into an episode of The Twilight Zone. "Thank you," he said, softly.

"You didn't look all that comfortable talking to him, so I thought I'd offer a way out." The comment was rather void of emotion, so Misaki didn't know what the elder might have been thinking.

"I guess he's like you were, Usami-san," Misaki admitted. "Before you decided to live for yourself, that is."

The elder nodded. So this was a possible suitor, after Misaki. Boy that kid seemed to attract every man in the galaxy. "You can call me Haruhiko-san, Misaki," the man replied, skipping over the part about Misaki's obvious pheromones. If he ever got the chance he could easily ask about it later when the kid wasn't so riled up.

Misaki almost tripped and fell to the ground, but was caught by a pair of strong arms. Instead of standing upright thought he chose to fall to his knees and sit stupidly on the sidewalk for a few moments to contemplate what he'd just been told.

After a few deep breaths he shook his head. "I don't know if that's appropriate, Usami-san," he answered.

Haruhiko cocked his head to the side and thought about it for a moment. "It means nothing more than an offer of friendship. One that won't make it very far, of course, in light of your lover," he commented, noticing how the youth tensed up at the word lover. "Since I call you Misaki, I want you to feel comfortable calling me by my given name as well."

Now, the problem with the offer wasn't in that someone was offering to drop the use of the family name, but lie in the fact that it was his lover's brother, and someone who had kidnapped him once. Misaki was still reeling from Ijuuin's earlier bout of inappropriateness, so adding this to his already flustered state of mind (Usagi had started the whole thing earlier that day) was giving him a headache.

"I'm going to have to think about that, Usami-san," he answered truthfully.

The contractor nodded. "I expected nothing more from you, Misaki," he replied stoically.

In truth it would be a miracle if the two were ever able to have any sort of friendship. He knew full well his brother kept the kid on a pretty short leash. It was true he'd done some things he wasn't proud of in the past regarding the kid, but if they were able to get past that then he wanted to learn more about Misaki. He couldn't hope for more than friendship, but even that was going to be a long-shot. That wouldn't stop him from hoping though.

Misaki finally stood up and continued walking, Haruhiko half a step behind him. "What are you doing today, Usami-san," Misaki asked, trying to find a safe topic to discuss.

"I am working today, Misaki," the man replied.

"Really?" Misaki asked, slightly saddened. "How come you don't visit your father or come visit Usagi-san?"

That comment would have made a normal person in Haruhiko's shoes laugh. The kid was the most innocent thing in the world. He reminded the elder of a baby chick. "I cannot visit my father since he is in France right now," he stated. Usami-ani noticed Misaki's face crunch slightly at that comment. "I am also sure my brother wouldn't want to see me, as he never does."

Misaki's face visibly fell. He didn't want to think about anyone being alone any day of the week, let alone Tanabata. Not thinking too clearly he took the other man's arm and pulled him into a little cake shop where he ordered them both a small piece of chocolate cake. It wasn't until after the confections arrived that he realized what he'd done. He looked at the shocked face of the other man and blushed.

"This is a sign of friendship, nothing more," he stated, brusquely.

Haruhiko just nodded and ate the cake, which wasn't much to his liking. Again that slight palpitation occurred as he watched the youth eat the sugary mound, happily, and he imagined the boy being his and not his brother's. He was happy to have any time with the kid, even if it was in the tiniest of amounts.

Once the cakes were eaten, the elder Usami son finished walking Misaki home and bid the boy farewell, happier than he had been in quite some time. Misaki watched the man walk around the corner and wondered what it would be like to call the man his friend.

"Thank you, Haruhiko-san," he said softly. It didn't feel weird using that name. By using the name it had only allowed him the opportunity to put another friend on his small but growing list.

**Yokozawa Takafumi and Kirishima Zen no Baai**

Kirishima Hiyori smiled brightly when one Yokozawa Takafumi walked into the kitchen at the early hour of seven in the morning. She knew he'd slept over the night before thanks to his shoes being neatly in step with her's and her father's in the entryway. The little girl loved it when her nii-san stayed over because she loved it when he cooked breakfast with her, usually for one lazy man named Kirishima Zen. Hiyori loved her father, but at times it was almost like she was the parent and he was the child in the relationship.

"Onii-san!" she called out gaily, a toothy grin plastered on her face. "You should just move in with us if you are going to stay over so often," she suggested.

Yokozawa blushed fiercely and ducked his head slightly. That kid was way too bright for her own damn good. The raven was sure at some point the brat was going to say something about his moving in to Kirishima and that smarmy ass was going to use it as leverage to get him to follow the kid's desires. Yokozawa wasn't happy with the way one diminutive girl had overtaken his life, not to mention his heart.

All in all, he loved Hiyori as much as he loved Kirishima. Of course he'd lock that thought into a safe and never let it out.

"Help me make waffles!" Hiyori giggled, intentionally making a mess that she knew her elder would happily clean off once he made it into the kitchen.

"You're making a mess," Yokozawa mock scolded, gruffly. He took a rag and started to clean the batter off the girl's face with a tenderness that was completely opposite his prior comment. Hiyori let him clean her since she was perfectly aware that she and he were bonding in this manner. "Why are we making waffles?" He finished cleaning off her face and looked at the waffle maker Kirishima's parents had sent for Hiyori's last birthday.

"I was going to make them as a Tanabata breakfast for you and daddy, but you woke up before I could finish," she admitted. "You could have stayed asleep for another thirty minutes or so, you know." There was a hint of mock annoyance in her voice, but she wasn't trying to hide it at all.

Yokozawa was grateful he had woken up so that Hiyori didn't walk in on him and Kirishima sharing the same bed. As it was, she thought he was occupying the spare bedroom. He didn't want to field any questions about how two men _fit_ together in any way. The sale's man wasn't even sure Hiyori had been told about the birds and the bees yet, though he was sure she could have easily looked that stuff up on the Internet. Oftentimes he wondered if Hiyori, being as bright and accepting as she was, would just accept the relationship he and her father shared.

"Maybe I would have continued sleeping if a ten-year old wasn't crashing about the kitchen at all hours of the morning," he responded, still feigning anger. Yokozawa couldn't actually be angry at the little brown-haired pixy. She was too good a kid to be angry at for whatever reason.

Hiyori giggled again and started to fill the waffle maker with batter. "I like to do things like this for the boys I love," she chirped, wrapping an arm about Yokozawa's waist and giving him a slight hug.

A slight blush hit Yokozawa's face again. _When the fuck did I become one of her _boys_? _ It did kind of have a poetic ring to it, but he didn't quite know how to respond to that compliment. So instead he just continued to help her create some decent looking waffles.

/GG/

Kirishima Zen wanted to giggle like a school girl in love when he saw his two loves walk through his bedroom door with breakfast for him to eat in bed. However, he could tell just by looking at the taller of the two that any sort of comment would probably cause his lover to blow his top. Tanabata was not a day to ruin first thing in the morning with being a smart ass.

"This looks great, Hiyori," he praised. "Looks like you can still teach an old dog like Yokozawa some new tricks!" Okay, maybe being a little smarmy was okay. Kirishima took in the breakfast after eyeing the pissed look Yokozawa shot him and winking, cheekily. "What, no mimosa?"

"Get your own ass out of bed and get one," Takafumi snapped, folding his arms and glaring.

"Jeeze, testy," Kirishima pouted, taking a bite of the waffle and grinning at Hiyori, who was practically flying. "This is good, honey."

Hiyori jumped onto the bed. Yokozawa's eyes flew open when she realized his underpants were right by her fingers. About to have a heart attack, he leaned over, plucked the girl off the bed and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Onii-san!" she called in surprise, heart racing in excitement. The last time her father had done something like that was years before when she was a little kid.

"We're leaving until your slothful father decides to get his posterior out of bed," Yokozawa growled, carrying the girl out of the room while Kirishima laughed like a madman. "Get out of bed, Kirishima, unless you want me to kidnap your daughter while you're indecent."

/GG/

Heaven wasn't even the word Hiyori could use to describe the day. She was dressed in a beautiful yukata that Yokozawa had helped her dress in; her father and her onii-san were dressed in matching outfits. The latter didn't look too happy about wearing a yukata that matched both her and her father, but he'd reluctantly agreed when she'd given the doe eyes. No one, especially Yokozawa, could say no when she used that bit of charm.

Hands linked between the two, she felt like they were a unique type of family. She happily pulled her boys to all the booths to see what was available. Eventually they made it to the wishing tree and she asked that each of them write a wish on a piece of paper.

"I have no idea what to write," Kirishima complained, pretending to be lost. "Hiyo-chan, you need to help your old man or he'll mess up."

"Good grief, you're so juvenile," Hiyori shot.

"Oh, you wound me, Hiyo," Kirishima cried. "I'm not as smart as Yoko-chan!"

Yokozawa rolled his eyes and glared. "Ain't that the truth." Then he added under his breath, "try calling me anything-chan again."

Hiyori loved when the two bantered back and forth, it made them look really close to one another.

"What did you write, Takafumi?" Kirishima asked, grabbing the younger man's ass while his daughter was busy writing her own.

The raven-haired man just about jumped clean out of his yukata as he stared wide-eyed at the too-fresh man standing at his side.

"You're not going to tell me?"

"I don't have anything to wish for?" Yokozawa snapped.

Kirishima eyed his lover with a pensive expression. "Really? Why not?"

"As if I'd tell an ass like you." He took the paper and quickly wrote something and tied it to the tree.

Zen chortled and attached his paper to the tree as well. "What did you write Hiyo?"

The girl glowered at her father and shook her head as she too attached her paper to the tree. Without another word she took hold of two larger hands again and led them away from the wishing tree. She thought one more time about her wish. Then she pulled the men on to another booth, all smiles.

Back at the tree filled with wishes there was one that stood out amongst the wishes for new computers, and more money. Hiyori's was deep and had quite a bit of meaning behind it. On the paper, written in neat and tiny script were the words: _I wish that onii-san would stay forever with daddy and me. Daddy and I both love him. _

**Aikawa Eri**

One pissed off editor, dressed to the nines in a yukata trimmed with actual gold, sat with her significant other on the sidelines of the parade, phone in hand, and an evil glint in her eyes. She wasn't really paying attention to the attractions as they waltzed by as she was busy writing an email to one Usami Akihiko, who was about to be castrated if he didn't produce.

_Usami-sensei, I don't care if today is the last day of the planet or you die before the deadline. If I don't have your updated manuscript by tomorrow at three PM, then I will personally come down to hell to fetch you and make you write it with a knife to your neck. Do I make myself clear? If not, deal with it and get the damn manuscript finished!_

Eri sent the message off and smiled. If necessary she would cut Tanabata short for the whole country. No one messed with her when it came to producing great works of literary, and otherwise, genius.

**Terrorist (My Interest is You)**

Shinobu was not a happy camper. In fact, he was incredibly pissed. How dare his family contact him to celebrate the holiday with them when the last time they'd actually celebrated he had been just out of diapers! Now, after years of celebrating all but nothing, they wanted to take him away from Miyagi for the day. Well that wasn't going to fly that well. Shinobu'd be damned if he was taken away from any regular day from his lover, let alone any holiday.

Well, technically they would still be together since he knew his sister had wanted to invite Yoh as well, but they couldn't be _together_ if they were with his family. And that idea burned Shinobu more than anything else in the world. No one wanted to be separated from their lover by a fine line.

"Miyagi!" he shouted, dressing rather quickly. "We're leaving," he bluntly called out to the older man in the other room.

The professor was rather perplexed as he walked to the doorway and looked at his sandy-haired terrorist, putting on a smart shirt and black pants. "And why do we need to leave, today of all days?" he asked when Shinobu'd finished dressing.

"We just are," Shinobu growled, storming through the doorway, grabbing Miyagi's hand in the process, and dragging the dark-haired professor to the door. "Get your keys unless you want me driving."

Yoh wanted to laugh at the younger man's persistence, but he knew that any sort of resistance would be met with one very annoyed young lover. He loved the kid too much to put up a fight. If Shinobu was this insistent then he'd play along and eventually the reason for the disappearing act from the area would show itself. "Okay," he replied, grabbing his keys.

The two put on their shoes and left the apartment rather quickly. Miyagi was more than overtaken by Storm Shinobu and let him direct the vehicle out of the city and some fifty miles away, toward a shrine pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He'd been there in the past with some of his international students, but this was a completely different feeling.

Watching the scenery pass at seventy kilometers an hour was dizzying, but Yoh was more than capable of driving. He watched his lover out of the corner of his eye. Shinobu was seated in the front seat, eyes trained forward, glad that he'd managed to get the two of them out of the house before his father had called and asked Miyagi to join in for the festivities.

Shinobu didn't know what would have been worse; spending the time with his family or spending the time with his sister trying to woo _his _Miyagi again. He was more than intelligent enough to know that the elder had chosen him over his sister, but neither his parents nor his sister was aware of their affair and he'd rather have kept it that way. It was bad enough that when he saw his sister he was briefly reminded that the pecker that penetrated his ass had penetrated his sister's twat. Luckily that only lasted a very short amount of time since he was also intelligent enough to get over his thoughts on the matter.

"Well Shinobu, what was the reason for wanting us to vacate the apartment at such an ungodly hour?" Miyagi asked, turning onto the road to the shrine.

"Do you want to tell me why I woke up by myself this morning when neither of us had to be anywhere special today?" Shinobu retorted. Never did he expect to wake up at five in the morning to see his lover had left the bed and not to go to the bathroom. In truth he was actually glad Miyagi had been dressed or they may have had sex, which may have lasted long enough for his parents to call. As it was he was expecting their call around seven on his mobile. By that time they'd be at the shrine, so they'd be safe…hopefully.

"I was planning on going to pick up some food. I didn't expect you to wake up before I got back; let alone left, and moving like a bat out of hell," Miyagi answered. "I was hoping to slip back into bed unnoticed and sleep a few more hours with a smarmy brat, but the kid woke up and drug me away from that dream."

"You're an ass," Shinobu spit. "But we got away in time." He left that part cryptic. Eventually he'd need to come clean, but not for the moment. When his parents called he'd happily, okay maybe not so happily, explain his morning haste and then he and Miyagi could go to a motel for a few hours. He knew there was one within a twenty minute drive of the shrine.

Miyagi sighed and shook his head. "Am I to assume that you're _not_ going to tell me the reason for our little dance this morning now then?"

"I'll tell you when I'm ready, old man," Shinobu mumbled, putting his feet up on the dashboard and looking out the window on the side instead of out front. He worried about his phone vibrating before they were far enough away from the city.

The drive continued on in silence for a spell when Miyagi's phone started to ring. The noise all but startled Shinobu to the point where he actually jumped, causing Miyagi to chuckle as he reached for the offending article. Something had the kid spooked and it was quite the interesting opportunity, seeing the brat freak out in such a way.

Miyagi made to turn on the phone and answer it, but Shinobu reached for the device and turned it off. "Don't answer that," he said, hastily, removing the battery from the back.

"Shinobu, what in the hell is the matter with you?" Miyagi demanded, reaching for the phone and putting it back in his pocket; he'd put it together and recall the caller once they stopped at the shrine.

"I don't want you to answer it," Shinobu pouted, starting to escalate internally. If his phone went off then he'd have no choice but to answer or it would look strange. He was sure it was his sister calling Miyagi. Shinobu was also sure that she was at their parents place and that at some point they were going to call him. If he didn't answer his phone then it was pretty much certain they'd think something was up if neither answered their phones. Besides, Miyagi wasn't really the type to ignore a phone call.

"Is there some reason you don't want me to answer my phone?" Miyagi pressed, not sure if he should be annoyed or worried. Shinobu was hardly the type to act like a spoiled child in this fashion.

"I don't want you answering my sister's calls!" Shinobu blurted out without thinking.

Miyagi's eyebrow arched. "And how do you know that was your sister?"

"She was calling to invite you over for Tanabata. I've already been contacted by my parents and I know they were planning to invite you too, or _she_ was planning to invite you too," the college student replied dryly.

Well that answered that question. Miyagi knew exactly what was going through his little terrorist's head, especially when it came to Risako and the fact that she'd mentioned wanting Miyagi back. The professor wasn't much interested in changing back to her; he was rather addicted to a smarmy little kuudere with sandy blond hair. Still, Shinobu was young and he knew very well that the kid was always worried he would change his way of thought at some point.

Miyagi reached over and ruffled the boy's hair, causing Shinobu to try and duck, then allow his head to be scratched little a kitten. "I'm glad we're going to the shrine instead, Shinobu," the raven said with a smile on his face. "I'd rather spend Tanabata with you anyway."

Shinobu danced, internally, and leaned into the touch that his lover was giving him. To him, there was nothing better than the most innocent of touches from the elder. Even just a small squeeze on the shoulder or a brush of fingers while they made dinner together.

"We're still going to have to call your family and mention that neither of us is coming," Miyagi commented after a few minutes of scratching Shinobu's head. "What do you plan on telling them?" They pulled into the parking area for the shrine, which was all but void of life.

"That I'm too busy with school to partake of a holiday we've hardly ever celebrated," Shinobu grumbled, reaching for his phone. "What will you tell Risako?" He started to dial his parent's number.

"I'll tell her that I am already spending the holiday with the one I want," the professor replied, reaching for his phone as well.

Shinobu stopped mid-dial and could feel tears in his eyes. _Damn these confounded tears springing to life all the fucking time!_ He put his phone down and glomped the professor, uncomfortably, in the car. His lips crashed onto Miyagi's and he used his tongue to push the other's mouth open. Phones were forgotten for a spell as arms wrapped around one another and a heated kiss was born of their passion.

They pulled apart when the need for a breath became too much and Shinobu, lips red and swollen, looked Miyagi in the eyes. "I rented a motel about twenty minutes from here. After we pay our respects, let's get it on," he said in a husky voice.

Miyagi laughed and pulled the kid in for a hug. "Never change, Shinobu," he giggled, rubbing up and down the boy's spine.

**Kisa Shouta and Yukina Kou no Baai (No Words Needed)**

It was a rare day indeed in which Kisa Shouta was able to sleep until noon. He was more than happy to be drowning in a sea of pillows and blanket; that conveniently smelled like Yukina. Nothing was ever so good as the scent of one's lover when one was so infatuated and twitterpaited that nothing else in the world mattered (on some occasions). The baby-faced editor was in heaven, as it were.

At some point Yukina was going to return. He'd had something to do that morning for his latest piece, which he was bravely calling _Sex in the Arms of a Man_. Kisa couldn't quite fathom how he'd managed to spurn these pieces of art, which Yukina was constantly telling him of his professor's praise for. In all of his years and experiences, he'd never influenced anyone in such a way. At times Kisa was sure the only thing he was good at was sex. His lover was constantly reminding him of everything aside from sex he was good at.

Yukna'd taken a picture of the piece and it was completely erotic. The one man was a god and looked younger than he should have. He'd fallen in love with a mortal man who resembled a prince. The god, for all of his knowledge, had let the mortal man wrap him in a cocoon of bliss and it showed on the god's face the pleasure he was receiving. Kisa wasn't sure if he should be embarrassed or not, for Yukina had shown him how much better making love was than just a quick fuck.

Shouta rolled over and moaned, letting his legs flop apart and his cock become fully exposed to the air. It wasn't cold in his room, but the feel of the air on his anatomy caused him to take a sharp intake of breath as he allowed his body to adjust to the temperature. He was fully mortified when he realized that his thoughts of his lover had made him semi-erect and he was sure if he continued thinking about Kou then his penis would stand at attention.

"I really am a pervert," he mumbled to himself, reaching down and letting his hands play. On many an occasion he'd felt his lover's hands on his member, but due to his past he himself was usually the one to fondle certain areas with either his mouth or his hands. There was no denying that Kisa Shouta was good, or Yukina'd have said something about it before. "I wish he were here to take care of this mess," he grumbled as he became full erect.

Kisa continued his little bout of masturbation. There were times when it was three or more weeks between his and Yukina's encounters. Fuck the idiots who said that a man's libido started to dwindle at age 30 or more; Kisa was all but always ready to partake of indecent activities. Before he'd met Yukina though he'd have just gone to the bar and gotten a quick hook-up, but now if it wasn't the light-haired man it was no one.

He moaned slightly as his energy was focused on the matter at hand and he felt his personal lubricant start to leak down the sides of the shaft. The editor imagined his own mouth on Yukina's engorged length while at the same time the man's mouth on his, moving back and forth in a melodic fashion, sucking one another into climax. This thought caused his hips to thrust out and he opened his mouth and took a long breath.

"Yu…ki…na…," he moaned, writhing slightly. He didn't even realize his hands had stopped and he was fully imagining it in his head and experiencing the same feelings. Then a warmth engulfed him and he cried out in pleasure, letting his imagination run away with him. Kisa could feel his fingers in Yukina's hair as the head bobbed up and down, taking him to his limit.

It was only when he was riding out the aftereffects of his orgasm that he heard the other party in the room. "Shouta-san is so hot!"

Kisa opened his eyes and saw his half naked lover sitting on the edge of the bed, evidence of his lack of imagination on the younger man's lips. So he hadn't come with just a thought, his head was actually feeling the real thing. The editor's face burned in embarrassment and he grabbed the blanket and hid underneath it to avoid looking into the artist's eyes.

"Shouta-san?" Yukina asked, "please don't hide away like that."

The older man couldn't even try to form a sentence. The kid had walked in on him masturbating and then had proceeded to help without a care in the world. There were no words to describe his feelings. He felt his organ against his lower abdomen and could feel the remnants of his own fluids as well as Yukina's oral juices.

Yukina thought his little Kisa-ball was cute and he wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by without taking it to the next level. Sometimes his timid boyfriend needed coaxing, but when they were in the bed it was definitely Kisa's turf. He stripped from his clothes and allowed himself to slid under the covers where his lover lay in wait.

"Yukina!" Kisa cried out, hiding his face from the younger man's in the crook of his elbow.

"We're not done yet, Kisa-san. We've been holding it in for too long if you are using your hands as a substitute," Yukina breathed into the older man's ear.

"We fucked last night!" Kisa spit, eyes going wide when he realized what he'd said. "That's not…"

The younger man laughed and pulled his slight lover into an embrace. "Yes you did, Kisa-san, so now it's time to make love instead." Yukina's face decided to turn as scarlet as Kisa's and he leaned in and started to lick the other's ear. Kisa shuddered, but let the natural happen and soon they were in a heated embrace, feeling one another out.

/GG/

"How did your work go?" Kisa asked, sipping coffee and reading the news paper.

Yukina beamed as he joined Kisa on the large pillow he'd brought over for the two to sit on together when eating. He looked incredibly happy to be talking about his latest piece.

"It went well. I finished because I have you as an inspiration," he boasted.

"I know," Kisa responded, sourly. "You could pick a better model, you know."

The other shook his head fiercely. "There is no one else I can use for inspiration, Kisa-san," he assured. "If it wasn't for you I'd never have gained my professor's approval, nor made it as far as I have. You're the reason I am succeeding and he said to keep you around!"

Kisa chuckled wryly. "I'm sure there are better forms of inspiration out there, Yukina," he stated evenly.

Yukina shook his head again and turned the other so he was facing him, making the coffee spill to the floor. "Listen up, Kisa-san," he said in a deep and powerful voice that always startled Shouta whenever he heard it. "There is no other form of inspiration for me. You are it and you'll always be it, end of story."

The editor's eyes went wide with surprise as he listened to the younger man spout off the weirdest type of confession. He was used to Yukina and his overbearing ways, especially when it had to do with he himself. It was almost like the gods had sent the brown-eyed youth to him just so there was someone Kisa could not only rely on, but use as a step stool when necessary. And the way Yukina spoke it was almost as if the kid thought the same way. Kisa wouldn't change that fact either since he was completely in love with Yukina. The man had stolen his heart a long time ago.

"Kisa-san," Yukina said softly. "I love you."

The editor blushed and shook his head. He'd never get used to hearing that, but at the same time whenever he did hear the other say such words his heart did a happy little dance in his chest. From prior knowledge he knew that whenever he said those words too, Yukina's heart also started to thud quite a bit.

"I love you, Kou," he whispered, ducking his head slightly and leaning it on Yukina's shoulder. The younger man beamed and pulled his lover's face toward his, placing a chaste kiss on his nose. This was, by far, the best Tanabata in his life and he was sure there would be many more to come.

**Yanase Yuu no Baai**

Tanabata was always a holiday Yuu had spent with his family when he was younger. He remembered being dressed up like a doll and pulled every which way by his mother or father. They had left many good memories in his head that he was more than happy to keep suppressed.

When he'd become an adult it was Chiaki who he'd spent the holiday with since Hatori seemed to think it unnecessary. Of course he'd later found out that Hatori always went home to see his parents on that day, whereas his own best friend had always said he didn't want to go visit his parents. Initially it had apparently started out as a two year thing, and Hatori had stopped asking. Yuu never did get to thank the man for giving him Chiaki one day a year, all to himself.

Of course this year was different. When the mangaka had called, Yanase turned him down stating that he had someone else he wanted to spend the day with and that Chiaki should go visit his family. After listening to the other complain for over an hour Yuu got him to shut up, explain his reasons for declining, and letting the reclusive man know that he should see his parents every now and then, even if he didn't want to.

Thus, when Yanase woke up on the morning of Tanabata he felt good about his life. Until someone spoke from the other side of the bedroom.

"How does this look?"

Yuu, groggy, looked over toward the door and almost lost his head. "Why in the hell are you wearing a girl's yukata?" he asked, perplexed beyond reason. In the doorway stood a man wearing a yellow and pink yukata, smattered with flowers, and a tight ribbon around his midriff.

"I'm attempting to see what it's like for a man to cross-dress to gain some understanding," came the baritone reply. "I have one for you too."

It took less than a second to realize that within the man's grasp was another woman's yukata. This one was light purple and pink. There were feathers sewn into the fabric and the ribbon looked to be a slightly darker purple than the bodice.

"No way in fucking hell am I wearing that!" Yanase spewed forth, attempting to keep calm. "What do you need to see what it's like for a cross-dresser anyway?"

"Research, of course. One must research to gain knowledge."

Yuu wanted to roll his eyes, close them, and go back to sleep. This was obviously a dream and he was still sleeping on the bed. No way was his lover standing in the doorway with such clothing. He may have been a tad eccentric when researching for material, but never to this extent.

"Come on, Yuu-chan, you'll look adorable in this getup."

If looks could kill the idiot in the doorway would have been wiped out almost instantly. "Much better than you," Yanase spat, sitting up and completely forgetting that he was rather in the nude, thus was giving the other quite the show. "What makes you think you can pull off being a woman anyway?"

His boyfriend waltzed over to the bed and sat down, looking at the artist in the eye with a sly grin. "I know you'll pull this off much better than I because you are rather on the cutsie side, but I was recently introduced to a video of a popular American actor discussing his role in which he dressed up as a woman for a movie."

This actually ended up piquing Yanase's attention and he found himself leaning slightly forward to hear whatever tale the other was about to put forth.

"This actor was given the script for a down on his luck actor who dresses like a woman to try and get a role in a soap opera. He decided to dress up as a woman for a day and walk the streets to see the reactions. No one made any comment toward his appearance either way; people just went about their own business. So the actor when back and asked them to make him beautiful. The makeup artists said that there was no way to make him up any better, he was as attractive as he was going to get."

Yuu knew which movie it was after being told this little bit of information. _Tootsie_ was one of his favorite movies growing up.

"Thus," continued his partner," the actor learned an important lesson. He learned that people are missing out on meeting all of these wonderful people by judging a person by the way that they look. All his life he'd lived according to a rule that he needed to go for the attractive person, he didn't even pay mind to those who were not what he considered beautiful. All people in the world suffer from this and he was chastising himself for following everyone else and not exploring all of the people he'd had a chance to miss out on becoming friends with."

"Well," Yanase grumbled slightly. "I now feel as if I've been lectured enough for today." He eyed the woman's yukata on the bed. "And I am going to assume that by my wearing this and you wearing that we're going to compare how people would look at us and see if anyone actually approaches? Do you have such a poor idea of Japanese people that they need to be tested?"

He reached over and fingered the yukata. It wasn't really a bad idea and he could see himself drawing the pictures for whatever book the man was planning on writing that needed this reference. In truth it was rather an exciting venture and he almost wanted to contact a few mangaka and give them the idea, or better yet, he could become a mangaka himself and write the story on his own.

A laugh drew him from his musings. "No, I don't have a poor idea, but I do know that most people will think that way. If they didn't then there would be homely people on billboards and television. It's a human epidemic, not just an American or Japanese epidemic."

Logic was definitely present there and Yuu couldn't argue. It was going to be an interesting opportunity and he looked forward to testing out the theory.

"I'll agree to do this, only if you agree to listen to a manga idea that just popped into my head and help me get it on paper. I may be an artist, but writing the story is definitely not my forte."

Yuu was clapped on the back and then pinned to the bed by the grinning idiot. He realized he was naked at that point and immediately knew where this was headed. "You've got a deal, Yuu-chan," the man purred in his ear as he started to kiss his neck.

Yanase pushed him back and straddled him. "Who says you get to lead this?" he asked, cockily. "And don't fucking call me Yuu-chan."

**Kanade Mino no Baai**

Every single year all Mino wanted to do was take his children to a photography studio and have their pictures taken in traditional clothing. And every year his wife vetoed that idea since the kids were so young that there was no way they were going to sit still. That meant that many years had gone by without the memory of Tanabata photographs, save for the few he snapped on his iPhone.

This year was different though. If his beloved wife wasn't going to let him have a photo of just the kids, he was going to suggest one of the entire family. They hadn't had one taken since the baby had been born, so that meant it was about time.

Thus, while she was still asleep Mino stole into the kids' rooms and got them decked out in the most traditional of yukata. Sure, it was a difficult process, but the end result would be one of great happiness for many years to come. Not to mention his kids just looked so darn cute whenever they were dressed to the nines. Had they been in America he was sure Disney would come knocking on his door for the kids to be the next Disney Channel stars.

"I don't wanna wear this Daddy, it makes me look like a girl!" the eldest of the Kanade children shouted, trying to remove his male yukata. The kid wanted nothing more than to throw it into the incinerator and never lay eyes on it again.

"Relax," Mino admonished. "This will make mama very happy, and you want to make her happy, right?" It was a sly trick. His son was in love with his mama, so there was no doubt the child would relent. If ever their eldest complained for any reason whatsoever then bringing up the love of Mino's life was s surefire way to get the boy to work with him.

"How come it has pink on it though?" the boy whined, gazing at his sister's light blue and purple yukata and scowling. "She doesn't have to wear pink."

Mino took his son in his arms and gave him a hug. "This was mine when I was your age," he explained. "I know it has pink on it, but it's mostly blue and black. So try to think of the pink as red, I had to when your grandmother made me wear it."

The boy relented and sighed in indignation. "I hope I grow out of it this year." He couldn't wait to see his younger sibling wearing it when the baby became of age. He'd then get to be the one laughing.

The editor suppressed a laugh as he continued dressing his children. This year's Tanabata was going to be the best yet and he couldn't wait to share off the pictures with Kisa at work when he had them in hand. Of all of his co-workers, that man was always more than excited to share in Mino's excitement.

/GG/

**Author's Note: Happy Tanabata everyone!**


End file.
